Amekaze hardened in the face of winter's brutality. Her wild fur thickened and every movement came with purpose. Nothing could afford to be wasted and insofar, she stood on level footing with this foe, but it was not easy.

And today she ranged in search of resources or information that she could gain from. Her travels little further out than her normal but it was not like she had a home to return to nor a place to keep her anchored, so she let a lengthened trot carry her along the banks of the river. She traced its meandering path and followed it into the depths of an impressive, towering forest.

In this unfamiliar turf, she sharpened her senses. Was hunting decent here? How many other predators lurked these woods? She narrowed her focus and thought about the forest itself as well. It had seen much, surely.

But then, ahead, a figure appeared. Another wolf shared the river's edge, although it seemed he was more stationary at the time than she was. Unsurprisingly, she did not recognize this being, but what was his purpose here?

Amekaze slowed up to take him in fully and her focus shifted with ease. Encountering him could prove to be interesting, or, alternatively, this could end poorly. She would take her chances and see what would be gained. His smell reminded her of water... and something else she could not recognize with his dark fur and sizable countenance. She halted a few lengths from him, poised with coolly neutral confidence, and tipped her muzzle in greeting. Her eyes remained trained on him to measure his reaction.

He made her wonder. The subtle lift of his tail, especially, had inspired its share of questions. She tried to decipher the smells on him to their fullest in an effort to understand his pack situation but.. all she could recognize was water. Strange water, too, not like the river here or like the lakes to the east. He did not smell like anyone she knew.

To his words, her immediate response was a quizzical squint. Really, she responded, nearly deadpan in tone. Her tail remained lax at her heels while her neck was lifted just enough to incline her muzzle appropriately: Amekaze's default stance, neither overly defiant or submissive, for now. Although, she was swiftly getting the sense that maybe he intended to command power in some place or time. He was not afraid to let her see his pride it seemed. I realize I am an impressive sight to behold to some, but even I can never rival the water's strength, she said, sarcastically dry and with a soft 'tch' sound to punctuate the end. Her lips twitched into a fleeting smirk, too. Nothing rivaled the beauty of raw power.

I do not know your smell, she went on to remark after stepping a few body lengths closer. Now that she had been able to get a good look at him, she guessed he was not all that much older than her and similarly marked in many ways, despite the more whiteness to him.

There were few superior powers that Amekaze willingly bent before, but nature was unquestionably one of them and to her, the waters of the world were one of her most revered. Although she had only ever known them as rain, ponds, creeks, rivers and lakes, it had always been more than enough to her. She had never known why, exactly, but understood it as an important part of who she was. Whereas her father had always drawn his strength from the deep stretches of forests and her mother had loved mountainsides like no other she had known, Amekaze was the winding waterways and the spring downpours.

Yet even so, she had never seen the ocean. Or thought much about it, for all she knew were brief mentions of it by her parents, and she squinted at him curiously when he spoke of the sea. So that was what she smelled, perhaps. Although unwilling to show the full length of her interests, she raised her ears and peered readily at him. I have not been, she said. This spot on which she stood now was as far west as she had trekked.

I did not know the sea is nearby, she added after another beat. It had never come up before. Nor did I know of any claims west of here. Yours is news to me. She tilted her head, hoping to draw him into sharing more. Amekaze did like hearing of new packs, especially when none so far had inspired any earnest interest in her. She had handled winter with relative grace so far but it was not without a share of difficult and lonely times.

He described the landscapes and she listened, for very likely, she would see to them soon enough. The more eastern territories had served her decently but ranging beyond them could never hurt. Amekaze could afford to expand her horizons.

He spoke well of these places and his Ridge. She could see it plainly on his expression, his smile, and just the way the words flowed together. These places were meaningful to him and a desire to know them herself was growing steadily.

She was silent still until after he had introduced himself, double surnames and all. He was likely proud of his heritage. She was too. Although her secretive tendencies outweighed the pride on this matter. Ah, I am Ame. She was tight-lipped as ever with her name and added a pointed look that was meant to say maybe you'll get the rest of it later. No one here knew her as anything but Ame, so it worked well enough by her standards.

Then she stole a second's pause to mull over his question. She had intended to go investigate further anyway. His company could not be so bad. In the end, this could be in her best interests I will come. I trust you can make it worth my time, she quipped and watched him expectantly. She had little to lose and not many offered something that could prove to be interesting.

Her ears shifted although she stayed silent as he tested her name. She was used to it, and preferred being just called Ame here -- and on the timbre of his voice, it sounded almost.. pleasant? She fought the oncoming splay of her ears and focused.

There were times when she wondered if she ought to share more of her name, like surname at least, but did it truly matter? It had not yet and then his words were very quick to redirect her focus. The subtle smile of his that came along as well had her all the more curious. In response, her head tilted subtly and she felt a smirk tug on her own lips. You think? she quipped. Well, she fancied a challenge. She silently dared him to live up to his words, as she decided she might like to see him try.

You sound so sure of yourself, she remarked quietly and stilled underneath his fleeting touch, for even that she considered.. reasonably brazen. For a beat afterward, she didn't move, and considered a suitable retort although fell short watching him step away. She suddenly felt unaccustomed to this sort of attention. He was neither family or enemy, and a little more than the average stranger. He was potentially valuable to her -- a possible alpha, something she had been looking for and falling short. None seemed.. right. That, or they had vanished.

Amekaze lowered her lifted muzzle and took to motion too, following after him onto unfamiliar planes of forest and otherwise.