She had travelled so far from home, Calida no longer knew where she was; everything was foreign and strange in her eyes, and she moved with, perhaps, an overabundance of caution. Calida had been on her own for over a year now, ever since her mother had taken her own life. She didn't mind being alone - nothing good had ever come from being around others, at least in her experience. Even so, some small part of her knew that she could not be alone forever, and based on the abundance of wolf scents all around her, she expected to run into one sooner or later.

Calida exhaled slowly, and her breath came out as frost. Winter would soon be upon the land, and at some point, she would need to settle in; the valley she'd entered was breathtakingly beautiful, and it could suit her, so long as she could find prey. Even so, hunting alone was no small task... lately, she'd been living off hares and scavenged kills. Calida sighed, shaking out her pelt, and sat for a moment, merely gazing around herself.

'Perhaps I could settle here... for the time being,' Calida thought to herself, idly reaching up with a hind paw to scratch at her ear. It wouldn't be so bad... after all, she'd left her past behind her, and she'd vowed to never return home, though she'd never thought of her birthplace as a true home. No, Calida was a wanderer, plain and simple. But maybe here, she could have a new life - a better life.

A bark made Calida's head snap up, and for a moment, she stiffened. Her sharp jade gaze turned to the wolf that was approaching her, searching for signs of aggression. When she saw none, she forced herself to relax; it would be clear to the stranger that she was uncomfortable, for no matter how hard she tried, she could not get her hackles to remain flat. Her ears angled back slightly, uncertain. She tried to greet the other female, but her voice only came out in a low rasp - she'd not spoken aloud for many, many months. She tried again.

"Uh... hello." Calida's voice sounded foreign in her ears, and she cleared her throat roughly, shaking her pelt out again in the hopes of dispelling some of her discomfort. She wished her hackles would lie flat. "Sorry," she muttered, avoiding the other wolf's gaze. "I'm... not used to company. My name is..." What even was her name? She'd nearly forgotten, and it took her a few moments to recall. "It's Calida."

Calida shifted restlessly, her discomfort growing; she knew she could not be alone forever, but she couldn't just jump right in. No, she would have to ease herself into it all. It started, she supposed, with simply meeting others, and she had done just that with Lane. At any rate, the other female seemed to respect her wishes, and gave her directions to a nearby water source. When Lane mentioned that Calida would be welcome at the glacier, should she change her mind, the red wolf nodded, saying, "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. Turning east, Calida said, "It was good meeting you. I doubt I'll stay in the area for too long, but if I'm ever around, I'll pay you a visit." She smiled slightly, feeling that she hadn't messed up too badly at her first stranger wolf meeting. "Thanks again," she added, bowing her head respectfully. Anxious to get moving again, Calida turned and headed east, ready for the familiar solitude that she was used to.