The Sentinels biscuit, ivory, and cream

Behati had spent the coldest months of winter on the move. It hadn't been a conscious decision when she set out, but once she had passed Sea Lion Shores it made sense to keep going. She travelled alongside the ocean for weeks at a time, returning home every now and then to participate in a hunt and offer titbits of information about the beauty of the coastal worlds she had come across. She saw very little of her pack safe for those visits, and knew there would be a lot of broken trust and at least one bruised heart to face when that wandering finally ended.

When that day came, it was grey and cold. Behati picked her way into the Sentinels from the windswept coast, keeping an eye out for familiar faces. Dante and Lasher wouldn't be impressed - they might even ask her to leave. But it was @Casmir that she sought, wondering if she could feign ignorance about what being a 'girlfriend' actually entailed.

Being the curious wolf she was, Aria was spending her days all over the territory. Today she was near the borders, marking them heavily and keeping out intruders. It was at one point she scented a wolf, female, and far too close to the borders for her liking. Her slow stroll began into a trot, and when she spotted the wolf she was forced to let out a warning growl. She neared anyway, white eyes narrowed and brow furrowed. There came a time when she realized she knew this wolf, but not personally. 

Her scent was strong when the girl had first joined the pack, and she remembered it with ease. Aria was sharp witted and had keen senses, to some of the other wolves in the pack it would not be a surprise that she knew that this was the scent of Casmir's ex lover(although she did not know about their relationship). 

"Behati," she woofed, straightening her stance as she neared. She was no longer hostile, but now simply on edge. Where had she gone? Why had she returned? Her tail stood still and raised, ears perked. She was showing a vague dominance, because technically Behati was not a member, and to her she was trespassing. "You've been gone a while," she commented. 

The two girls were roughly the same age, maturity wise. Behati was probably a year older, but Aria often acted as though she was well beyond a teenager. Right now was one of those times. She held her serious tone, but hints of curiosity escaped through the diamond like gaze she held.

A wolf that Behati had only seen in passing was the first to greet her - with a tone and stance not befitting her station. Tension electrified the air. "Uh - pardon?" Behati returned, brows rising high above her eyes. "Yeah, I've been gone a while - scouting the coast. Who's asking, exactly?" A flutter of fear beat its wings, struggling against the hot rush of anger in her chest. Had Dante and Lasher decided to excommunicate her for the extended scouting mission?

Hot damn, who was this bitch? was the first thought that entered Aria's mind, although it appeared the same could be said about her. "Aria," she replied, the girls tone not shaking her own. "I'm Donnelaith's Gamma," she added, feeling that her new position could be used to state that she was indeed a someone, not just a young, cowardly pup in need of a pack for the winter. Her tail swished once or twice behind her, but her stance did not waver. She shrugged vaguely. 

"I'm simply making an observation," the white girl added, eying her with a narrowed gaze. "Surely a scouting mission wouldn't take so long," she continued, but truthfully she wasn't sure. In her experience scouts usually arrived back in the territory within a week, however she had no idea the extent of this mission. The coastline was not worth almost a month(a month, yeah? if i'm wrong just pretend i had the right date i'm sorry lol) of exploration... Was it? No matter, the girl held her stance, refusing to show signs of weakness or falter.

Oh guuuurl. I'm Donnelaith's Gamma. Behati repeated the phrase in the privacy of her own mind, employing her highest, whiniest brain voice for the job. Outwardly, there was no trace of it except for a burdened sigh. She was tired, sore, hungry - and fretting more about the reactions of the wolves she had let down than the freshly appointed Gamma of Donnelaith.

But none of that was Aria's fault, of course, and in an unprecedented show of maturity - courtesy of her recent pilgrimate - Behati answered without snark. "Just needed a bit of space or whatever." She sat, groaning when weight was finally taken off her hind legs. "I did check in," she added, a little defensively this time. "Just.. sometimes everyone was out." Behati's eyes found her own paws. Without raising her gaze, she asked. "So haveee.. you seen Casmir?"

Aria nodded. Behati dropped the sass and she returned the manner, deciding it probably wasn't so lady-like to be such a bitch; regardless, she moved on. Without apologizing for assuming she up and left (although to her it still appeared so), the white wolfess gave her a bit of an eyebrow raise. It was tempting to ask why she cared, but it was none of her business. Besides, the icy young fae was quite intelligent, and could assume that there was some sort of affection for him in the question. 

So, naturally, the competitive side of her arose and the need for a companion followed. Maybe there was nothing between her and Casmir, but you'd be a total moron to think that Aria would pass up any opportunities for love and a family. 

"Just the other day," she replied, eyeing the caramel wolf with interest. "We had a nice walk together," she added vaguely, curious to see her reaction. It was not that she was always so rude to others, but Behati sparked this strange emotion in her, and it allowed her to feel more confident. So she rolled with it, wondering what assumptions the girl would make about their day together.

Aria did not probe, but Behati nevertheless made a mental note to give the snowy Gamma hell if ever she departed Donnelaith - no matter the reason. It was petty and stupid, but Behati was both of those things on occasion. Her tail curled around her hind quarters when Aria mentioned her 'nice walk' with Casmir, and Behati found herself wondering out loud: "What'd you talk about?" She bit back on the words, but they were already free - leaving one young girl to watch another with a face that betrayed her feelings completely.

And so jealousy did strike the dusty coated wolf. She was attractive, Aria would admit, but if she would ever take Casmir from her she'd feel no guilt. No matter how she felt, she had gone. It's her own damn fault she was gone for so long. There's no way she expected such a fresh relationship to stretch over such a distance without speaking, did she? Pitiful. 

Aria shrugged.

"It was his birthday," she hummed, allowing herself to relax into the snow. She sat across from the girl with a curious expression, one that implied there might've been more. Was there? Not really. But Behati was so easy to manipulate, and maybe it was fueling her attitude; one that was usually much more tamed. 

Aria kept her answer brief and mysterious, manipulating her target like a true pro. Behati sort-of-kind-of understood that she was being played; she had done it herself - but it was an entirely different thing to be on the receiving end, especially when she was in no position to fight back. She had no idea if they would let her back in - never mind how Casmir felt about the unannounced soul-searching mission. And here was a virtual stranger, making judgy-judgy eyes and prodding the sore spots. 

"Oh," Behati croaked, verging on tears. She struggled through the next few words, rising with the intention to leave. "Do you know where Pearl is?"

"Not today, but she's around," she nodded, seeing that the caramel girl dropped the subject of the Mayfair boy. She had no reason to prod her on this, she was by no means a close friend to Pearl, and really only had a vague interest in her. Aria shared a den with her, and the aquantance feeling was most likely mutual, but the pair was not very close. If anything they just appeared as doppelgängers, which was more amusing than anything. 

(Meep my bad I didn't see that you had another post with lasher and Dante editing~)

Aria stiffened slightly, watching her. She was a little curious about the relationships at hand... Were they a thing? Like... For real? Or was this sassy bitch in the same situation as she was? Just hopeful and a little turned on by 90% of the males who treated her well? 

Anger joined hurt, and together they pushed the first tear onto Behati's cheek. She stifled the accompanying sob, embarrassed, and took a step back. "I'm going now," the girl muttered, ears flat and face sombre. She turned tail and re-traced her route into Donnelaith territory at a swift trot, heading for the unclaimed ground that Aria so clearly wished she would stay on. When the tears had been tucked away, she would find Dante and Lasher both and make her case.

@Aria Edited to fit your edit! :)

Aria would have followed the girl, and maybe should have, but wanted nothing more to do with her. "Good luck," she sneered as she moved on along the border, eyes narrowing forward and tail swaying as she went. Behavior would be fine, she was sure, her only problem now was keeping her away from the male options in the pack