Nimbus Summit Home sweet home, I like the new foundation.

She hunted, but not for any animal that could provide meat to fill her belly. It was not for food that Wayfarer yearned. No, she wished only for the company of her brothers.

The russet youth moved swiftly but with caution across the summits middle reaches, especially careful on slopes slick with ice. She ventured high enough to gain a better vantage point over the forest below, that which their pack would soon claim as their own. It would've been easier to send forth a call to rally the boys to her, but that would be no fun. Tracking could take hours, more so if Veteran and the others were on the move and making their own mark, but she welcomed the challenge.

Wayfarer thought she caught sight of the ashen figure of @Ensio vanish among the treeline, so she began her descent in effort to catch up with him. She assumed @Arius would not be far from him, their bond as solid as she and Veteran's, though soon they would all be yearlings - independence was sure to come for each of Duskfire's fledglings, some sooner than others.

when the blackwood witch chanced to cross paths with the young and reticent wayfarer, the girl seemed to be absorbed into some task. hunting, antha thought at first, but as she drew close enough for a greeting she realized the only scents woven with any strength into the landscape around them were wolf, at least for now. their sudden, sheer number in a previously abandoned place must have been intimidating to the local prey animals. it would be harder to track them down inside their own territory, at least for now. perhaps wayfarer was following a trail to a newly discovered nook, or looking for one of her packmates. or maybe she was truly hunting, albeit unsuccessfully.

wayfarer. mind if i join you? she smiled gently as she approached, moving to flank wayfarer in a gesture of companionship. perhaps i can keep you company until you find what you're looking for.

At the corner of her eye, movement. Wayfarer instinctively looked toward the source and pricked her velvet lobes with curiosity as she slowed to observe another's approach. She noted the sleek figure and autumnal shades belonging to Antha, whose easy company she favoured, though there was a weight in her chest that it was not one of her siblings to cross her paths.

No matter. There was plenty of time to reunite with them.

Wayfarer welcomed the gilded wolfess to her side with a friendly sweep of her tail to accompany the fond nip she reached to deliver to a silken cheek. "O'course I don't," the youngster chirped, veering aside to avoid any playful retaliation from her comrade, "how are you settling in?"

the more time she spent with wayfarer, the less antha could deny a simple truth: she adored the girl. wayfarer reminded her so much of the scrappy young girls of her homeland, beautiful and wild and ready for any challenge. she reminded antha of herself and her countless sisters, those she had grown up alongside though they shared no relation. nothing could compare to the bond of sisterhood, whether it was sealed in the blood of the covenant or the water of the womb.

perhaps it was the promise of sisterhood that antha saw in the girl. the nip at her cheek brought forth fond bell-chime laughter, and she ducked her head in a half-hearted and ultimately fruitless attempt at a retaliating nip to her shoulder. the witch's expression brightened with a luminous warmth when wayfarer asked how she was settling in. i'm settling in very well, thank you. i've enjoyed exploring the summit and getting to know the people of atautsikut, her own words turned inquisitive then. and you? are you happy with the changes that have come to your pack? her tone was gentle and sincere, free of any implication toward a possible answer.

while she hoped wayfarer was happy with this new beginning, antha knew it was her right to feel otherwise. frankly, it would surprise her if not a single one of the members of the rebranded atautsikut objected to any of the recent decisions. there had to be at least one grievance, she felt; there always was when life-changing circumstances gripped an entire pack.

Aha! Success! Antha moved to strike at her, though Wayfarer's swift retreat meant that contact was avoided. The russet girl beamed, smug satisfaction written across her young face, though the distance did not remain. She veered in close again, crooning fondly as she bumped a skinny flank to her comrade's ribs.

"No complaints," she responded simply, with a smooth roll of a shoulder, "I'm looking forward to seeing what this part of the world has to offer."