Birds chirped in the sky, racing the clouds as the rolled through the sky. Summer was coming to an end. Or perhaps it only felt that way because the sun wasn't shining with the same intensity. It was still there, at the very center of the vast expanse of the blue sky, but it was dull.

Cara didn't mind that the summer was coming to an end. What bothered her was that the forever bright sphere in the sky was loosing it's life. Was everything coming to an end? It wasn't common for the yearling to view life with such a pessimistic eye, but after the hectic days that she had had to endure, everything was beginning to look a little colorless.

Everything but the mountains. She had taken the hills as her escape. And after exploring the lands of the Vale she began to wander around the mountain goat filled cliffs. She was looking for a distraction and the white animals were her perfect escape-goat (badum tss) from reality.

The lithe female began rounding up the fluffy creatures, she slipped into a stalking position, her tail brushing the ground ever so often. She wasn't really looking for a kill, a mountain goat was more that she could stomach and leaving the rest too waste would be a sin. She simply wanted to spook them a bit, get their heart rates up as she lowered her own stress.

The girl lunged forth, her eyes fixed on the sheep's ankles. As she neared the animals, they cried in surprise and took off, looking for an escape route along the skirts of the mountain. Cara followed them, though she didn't get very close for she knew a kick could easily fracture her thick skull.

But as one of the sheep swerved out of the way, Cara halted knowing she'd succeeded in giving them a dose of cardio. She allowed her tongue to hang from her mouth as she simply scanned her breathtaking surroundings. It was then that she saw the male. Hiking through the sides of the mountain slowly.

She barked to get his attention, while walking slowly to meet him half way. Was this male from the Sunspire too?

The sound of the annoyed sheep grew distant, they were not happy to be used for the girl's entretainment, but honestly she didn't care. That was her approach to many things really. She didn't care if someone didn't like her, or if someone wasn't pleased with her attitude. But that was just to be expected, she was an inmature yearling that had been forced to fend for herself from a young age.

As the male came to meet her, she analyzed every detail of him. He was older than her, and he smelled of the Plateu. She had come to meet the Plateu wolves when she met a wolf named Silvermane by the river, though strangely she had found him a month later getting stoned near the isle. His gruff voice snapped her out of her thoughts, he didn't even say hello.

The female scoffed while she the tip of her tail twitched in a cat-like manner. "No,you should recognize a turist when you see one" she barked while shifting her gaze to the slopes of the mountain momentarily.

The fact that he was not a native either made her lower her guard just a tad, "Touche" she barked with a light shrug of her shoulders; if he was just a traveller like her then she'd have nothing to fear. (not that she was afraid) Though she didn't know with precision where the main settlement of the Plateu wolves was, she suspected it couldn't be extremely far. Silvermane and her had met by the Whitefish River after all.

"You do live around here though" she said matter-of-factly, if her nose wasn't betraying her then it was true that he lived in the Plateu."Aren't you from the Plateu?", she asked while training her eyes on his face.

She was interested in knowing a bit about said pack, since well she didn't know anyting from it other than it was located in well...a plateu. "My name is Cara", she barked after his name had been announced, her last name were reserved for more formal occasions.

The yearling did not take heed on his comment, he was big of course but his stance didn't give away any hostility, and besides Cara was not here to fight. She flicked her tail carelessly from one side to another as she closed the space between them with a couple of measures steps down the slope of the mountain.

She nodded her head silently as he comfirmed her suspicions, he was in fact a Plateu wolf. And while she was eager to know more about the mysterious pack that dwelled on the flatlands her not yet spoken words were intercepted by a remark of his. She helf her tongue as he pointed out how her scent held traces of Jinx.

She was well aware she wore the snow queen's perfume, though she didn't appreciate him mentioning it; specially in a time where Jinx was not her usual self anymore. Cara's muscles tenses instantly through she quickly shuffled to the side to cover any trace of impatience. She looked at him blankly for a while, her eyes glazed with a feign indifference --while she struggled to keep her emotions concealed she was really dying a bit at the thought of Jinx.

"Yes, I'm one of Jinx's", she barked simply. She would've like to say I'm Jinx's but she knew that speaking like the Alphess was just hers would tempt him to question her.

Cara preferred the term servant or loyal follower.
His words were not appreciated by the pale yearling , she didn't like the fact that he referred to her as the white one, there were countless white wolves walking through the wilds but none was like Jinx. Not in her mind. Her tail lashed to the side to show her annoyance and the features of her beautiful face hardened even more when he asked if she was a slave. Cara was not one to submit, she had a revellious hearr but Jinx's had earned her uttermost respect and adoration. She would shed the last drop of blood in the snow queen's name but she would never name herself a slave.

Her pale yellow eyes narrowed into unforgiving sliths while she spoke, it was true she had come here with no intend of fighting but if this wolf were to insult the Spine or her queen she wouldn't hesitate to rise to defend it. "She's my Queen", she clarified, "And I'm not her slave, just a her reliable servant", she barked with a bitter tone in her voice. Now that the sickness had take over Jinx's mind she doubted she'll ever be able to serve her without being at risk of being bitten.

Cara ignored his words, she could've said her queen was losing the essence of her personality along with her reason each day --but she didn't. He had gotten the point and besides in the pale yearling's mind she did belong somehow to her beloved snow idol.

His apology was not awknoledged with words but rather a simple nod of her head, then as if tasting every word said about her Queen that had begun to cross the line to a morbid obsession she allowed a feeble and volatile smile to poise on her lips. "Very pretty story, but I want to know more about the Plateu", she pressed, If it had been a happier time perhaps she would've enjoyed listening to a story or two, but with Jinx at the brink of madness she didn't want the subject to come up during the conversation

Patience and discretion weren't on the list of Cara's marvellous gifts. She was antsy and hot-tempered while she had been the passive child of her litter she had grown tired of keeping her feelings bottled when the constant insults of her sisters began to drag down her shoulders.

She blinked at the male a couple of times listening quietly to his answer, he didn't say much, not even the name of the Alpha was mentioned; she bit her tongue feeling dissapointed at his response. She held in the urge of asking again and simply nodded her head as if his words had been mind-blowing. "Wardens and Healers are vital, do you have any outriders? I aspire to be one myself" she barked while giving him an ear flick, she wanted to fish out information out of him.

The male was careful not to reveal anything vital, he answered politely yet he watched his words so he didn't say anything out of what was required. He was a man of few words she had noticed that from the beginning though she did prick her eras when the phrase, 'many wolves' came from his mouth. That was a hint that the Plateu was a large pack, if they were as numerous as he said it'd be good to keep a closer look at the near-borders with them.

Then he asked about her where-abouts, which made the girl think he was using some kind of strategy to get her to name a few places. I have, yes", she affirmed simply, her yellow eyes tracing the aged creases under his eyes.

Then he threw the same question Silvermane, her friend from the Plateu in times past, had also given her. She blinked for a while. She loved the Ouroboros, it was her life, her home. Even if the situation was delicate at the moment she still felt she breathed for the Spine and its glory."Yes I do. Very much really" she smiled subtly, while flicking the tip of her tail to one side.

She felt the sudden urge to leave as the first question about her beloved pack had been answered. She didn't want him to keep prodding for answers she couldn't give. No one must know about Jinx's illness, it would put at risk their reign.

With her eyes fleeting from his feet to the mountain side, Cara chuffed soflty and excused herself, she descended slowly though, in case the male had some goodbye words in store for her.