There was a point during one of his curiosity-induced wanderings that he swore he saw a print in the snow; it did not belong to a wolf, nor any other predator, but appeared cloven-hoofed. It was faint, hardly there—a mere blink and it was gone, buried beneath a dusting of flurries, almost as if it never existed. He could only stand and stare at the now empty space, expression blank as his mind soared away—

—and was then grounded again by a low grumble from his stomach.

Shaking his head, Aningan stole one last, fleeting glance at the snow before turning and retracing his steps, steering himself towards the stream. There, he stared intently at the fish that floated leisurely beneath the icy surface, before using a paw to shatter a hole through to the water below. He then watched as the fish scattered, as still as a statue until they steadily began to float back over. Only then did he strike, jaws gaping wide and ears slicked back, seeking to clasp his maw around a scaled body—but alas, luck was not on his side as he came back up without a fish, just a face-full of freezing water.

Eyes of fire remained trained on the water below, trailing after each fish that drifted by; they were scattered, still spooked by his previous attempt, but gradually becoming bolder. If he could just wait it out for a little bit longer, he was certain he would be able to nab a fish—wasn’t this supposed to be an inherited skill? The uppik used to tell him all about how wolves of the north excelled at fishing, able to pluck the slippery creatures from the water with ease. Was he just not trying hard enough? Pointing his muzzle downwards, he focused on what he wanted to do and struck—

When he pulled his head back out of the water, there was a fish clasped tightly between his jaws. Aningan immediately reversed away from the water’s edge, not wanting to risk dropping his catch. It was then that he heard a crack nearby and nearly dropped his fish as he whipped his head around to see what it was—or who, rather.

“Roshuhleen!” he called out around his catch, overjoyed. Whether or not she responded, the boy bounded over and deposited the limp meal before her, a grin on his face and tail wagging a mile a minute. “I caught a fish,” he said, prouder than a peacock. “Are you trying to catch some, too?” Maybe he could help!

Seemed like fishing wasn’t on her agenda for the day, just scouting; he wasn’t too familiar with the latter, rarely leaving the confines of the plateau. And even when he did stray beyond the treeline, he never went far. “If you’re leaving, you should take this,” he said, motioning towards the fish. “You’ll need the energy.” He could just catch another one! With prey minimal, he didn’t want her to leave on an empty stomach.

“What is scouting like?” he asked a moment later, having a limited understanding of all it included. “Do you meet a lot of wolves?” It often seemed like she was able to communicate with others with hardly any trouble, so he wondered if her scouting excursions might be the reasoning behind that.

Aningan was unable to fight off the smile that overtook his expression when the fish was accepted; he was proud of his catch, as well as seeing that it went towards someone who needed it. Plus, he was more at ease knowing that she had something to eat prior to leaving, uncertain of how the pickings were beyond their borders.

The boy was quiet as she spoke, listening intently to her answer; some wolves were met but, more so, it was a way to collect information. It made sense—and made him all the more curious. But, when a question was directed his way, he was confused. “I didn’t know I could go,” he admitted. “I thought I had to stay here, or close, to watch out for everyone.” Were leaders allowed to leave? He always thought that leaving was too big of a risk—it opened him up to the possibility of getting lost and, if he got lost, who could tell when he would ever return. He worried that what happened with Caiaphas would happen to him, too; he didn’t want to lose his way or his home.

Leaving opened the door to a world of opportunities, it seemed. Not only was it a way to meet new people but, at times, it could also be a way to bring new faces into the pack—or to associate with those that called the nearby territories home, should he wish to do so. In fact, based on what she told him, it might be best for them if he did seek out meetings with the neighbours—neighbours that, in all honesty, he could not be sure if they had or not. “Do we have neighbours?” he asked next, a touch of concern in his voice. If they did, would that mean he wasn’t doing enough by not knowing about them? Actually, he knew they had at least one neighbour, in the mountains! He recalled the falling wolf and her claim to have a home—although, he never did get the name of the wolf or her home, so he didn’t really know how close they were. But he knew they were there, somewhere, and that was a start.

Rosalyn then spoke of seconds and ranks being given, rather than taken; for someone that could really only remember the challenges that kept Rusalka alive and no gifting of ranks, the thought amazed him. If he had a second, then he would be able to explore more of the territories surrounding their home—he could meet the neighbours and seek out those looking for a home, as well as make it known that they were there. The thought was more than appealing, and he was fairly certain he knew who could be his second—“Do you want to be my second?” he asked. She seemed to know a lot about this type of stuff, so who could be better suited than her? Between her and Erzulie, Aningan was convinced that the pair knew everything, and having even half of that knowledge would to wonders.

Rosalyn confirmed that yes, they did have neighbours; this made him wonder if he was doing something wrong, to have not known about them sooner—even the mountainous wolf, whose pack he assumed to be near to them, was met far later than he assumed was acceptable. Thankfully, however, they were kind enough—or neutral, at the very least. They did not wish to inflict any harm upon Rusalka, much to his relief. Still, he knew now that he should meet with them each at some point, even if only to ensure neutrality remained.

As for his question, his offer, an answer would have to wait. “Okay,” he said, nodding; if she needed time to speak with Erzulie first, then she could have it. He did not doubt that the decision may not be an easy one to make. It was with that in mind that he said, “I’ll wait for your answer,” and then bid her farewell; if time was needed, then he would give her space along with it, lest he seems impatient.