Blacktail Deer Plateau can't get you out my mind

The thoughts were overwhelming. Too many questions had gone unasked and subsequently unanswered. There were several conversations to be had; Ying assumed that Hua had told Mei about the ordeal but she would eventually have to clarify. She did not love Aningan.. just thought that he was sweet.

Was she happy with how their meeting had ended? Ying was unsure. @Aningan hadn't recoiled from her touch, though he hadn't moved to match it either. They still didn't have a clear answer to the question placed between them — what are we? — which was more worrisome than anything else.

She walked the border as she thought, stopping to mark every few yards.

Generally speaking, Aningan found border work to be pretty boring. There usually wasn’t much to do—but it was necessary that it be done and that he, as one of the leaders, reinforce his own scent throughout the outskirts of the territory. Surprisingly enough, he actually looked forward to it today; that which usually bored him nearly to death would serve as an escape for the day, a way to try and clear his mind. After everything with Ying and the conversation with his co-leaders that followed, he felt more confused than ever.

Aningan missed the simpler days of the shore; exploring the beach and discovering new things, speaking with the uppik and learning. He thought back to those days as he trotted along the borders, leaving scent markers where they were faint, trapped in a trance of the past—so much so that he didn’t even take notice to the form ahead of him, gradually increasing in size as he grew closer to her.

Slight PP for sitcom's sake.

The other guard had gone similarly unnoticed. She continued on her path, paying little attention to the wolf behind her. An unfamiliar scent blew southward on the wind, pulling Ying's attention from her own qualms to the border's other quarter. There didn't appear to be any strange figures from what she could see but she stood tall and proud nonetheless, should someone be watching.

Ying was about to begin a round of warning barks when oof!

The impact pushed the guardian forward. She began tripping over her own paws as she attempted to reorient herself, eventually landing her flat on the snow. Ying turned around to see what'd happened and— oh. Aningan was there. Was she happy to see him?

She bit anxiously at the inside of her cheek as she moved to stand and began to think of what one might say.

Most other wolves probably found border patrols boring if not outright dreadful. But as a wolf who had never before resided in a claimed territory, Harps found the entire concept pretty exciting. She wanted to lend her signature scent to the plethora marking the edges of Rusalka's claim, announcing to both insiders and outsiders that, I'm here, I'm part of this family. Harps wondered if that thought would ever grow old.

As she explored the edges, squatting every now and then, Harps caught sight of a familiar figure. "Ying!" Harps called out, her tail sweeping the air. Then a second, "Ying!" escaped her, this one colored with alarm, as she saw someone moving toward the white she-wolf from the opposite side. For a split second, the yearling wondered if there would be another fight. Maybe they were even fairly common.

But the two similarly colored wolves merely bumped into one another, with nary a sound of malicious intent. They both looked a little bewildered by the impact, something which Harps noted as she trotted closer to make sure everything was okay. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh, secretly quite relieved that these didn't appear to be the makings of a fight.

"Hi," she said a little shyly when she reached the two of them, utterly oblivious to the obvious tension in the January air.

The collision snapped Aningan out of his trance and he blinked a few times, gaze focusing on the form he was met by: Ying. Feeling flustered, he took a singular, retreating step to allow some space between them. “Ying,” he greeted, an ear flicking as the name sounded… echoed. Then it came again, only not from his mouth, and he stole a glance in the sound’s direction. There he spied someone that, although he knew was of the pack, was not particularly well-known by the young leader. After assuming that she would continue on her way, he turned back to his… friend? Was she a friend still? Shaking his head, he asked, “Are you okay?” instead of thinking about some complicated things.

Speaking of complicated, his assumption proved wrong. Harps’ greeting brought his attention back to her, after which he awkwardly shifted his weight. “Oh, hello,” he returned, suddenly feeling a million times more out of place than usual. Did he interrupt them? If Ying went unnoticed, then it was possible that he didn’t see the other along with her, too. He wondered if he should leave them to whatever they were up to.

Hi, Harps. — an embarassed glance to their Alpha — Hi, Aningan.

Having been found in this position by two different wolves was an embarassing and unchangeable event. She thought to look for an exit, but figured that there was no use in running from the inevitable. They would eventually have to talk about what'd happened and what it meant; Ying wondered if it would be easier with Harps there to supervise.

I am okay. A small smile was shared with either wolf, though she made sure to avoid eye contact. We are...pat-roll-ing? Even if that hadn't been the plan, Ying hoped that her companions would come along. Walking would be much less awkward than standing around...right?

Only when Harps saw the awkward glances exchanged between the two did she suddenly sense something amiss. She couldn't intuit the nature of it. They didn't seem to be arguing, the tension in the air so different from the charged silences between Tambourine and Larkspur in the midst of a disagreement. The yearling licked her lips as if picking up on their nervousness, though at least neither of the two seemed to mind her presence, at least outwardly.

"Sorry I couldn't quite prevent the collision," Harps quipped with a sheepish smile for both of them. "It's nice to formally meet you, Aningan," she added, truly grateful for an opportunity to introduce herself to Rusalka's top dog. Even though Ying had already said her name, she formally said, "I'm Harps Ostrega." With that said, "I can leave you two to your patrol," as she grew more and more aware of the collywobbles between the two of them and began to guess at its nature.

I wanted to edit and say you can power-play Harps out of this thread, since she's now deceased and I'll be retiring her account shortly. :)