The earlier rain had left the earth soft and muddy, but the air felt refreshingly cleansed, the rich aroma of the wet soil rising to her nose with each step. It reminded her of renewal, of a new beginning, second chances. What a wonderful way to end the day so soon after her arrival. As Snow looked around, following a trail Haze had pointed out earlier, she almost felt like the land was telling her of change to come, of the fact that she would be welcome here and accepted into a pack. But which? She had heard little news about them, didn’t know how many there were, if there were any. Sticking to the neutral lands was safest, and so far she had found little to draw herself away from them. They had plenty for her to eat, drink, and enough places for her to find a suitable resting place. Would she really need to join a pack? Even with summer approaching around the corner there was no rush, as she was sure there would have been if it had been fall with the snowy season quickly coming up on them.

<p>Taking another turn in the path, the two-toned female kept along in the direction Haze had indicated. As she cast a curious glance at the sky, now clear of the clouds that had released its cargo more than an hour before, she picked up her pace. Light was beginning to run low with the setting of the sun, and she had told her spirit animal that she would find herself a resting place by then. It seemed funny to her that he should worry so much about where she was all the time, especially when it was his decision to wander off on his own. Still it was nice having someone look out for her, and with him being the only one to really care about what she did and where she went, she was more conscious of the choices she made. Rarely did she do something that might upset her winged friend, not wanting to add another to the list of those disappointed in her, beginning with her beautiful arctic mother.

<p>It was while she was deep in her musings that a sound caught her attention, her ears perking up at the familiarity of it. This was definitely something she hadn’t heard in quite a long time - since leaving her home? Possibly even before that. The wolf’s howl sounded inviting, welcoming others to join her company, and Snow was half inclined to follow it. Would Haze want her to? He did hate to see her without the company of her kind though he was rather solitary himself. He knew a lot about other species despite the fact he was only one, obviously having done a lot of wandering and observing during his own travels before "taking her under his wing" as a spirit animal. It amazed her sometimes how much he knew, though with her family this had been an exception. I wonder if… The thought stopped short within her mind as she settled her gaze in the direction the howl had come from - the same direction she had already been heading in. Well, I guess I’m going to see them anyway.

<p>Continuing on the path already set for her, she wondered just who she might encounter. Whether or not she would be welcome among them bothered her a little, enough to keep her thoughts silent for a while, but she knew she would make no progress in making friends and acquaintances if she worried about rejection around every corner. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t already dealt with that all too familiar emotion. Surely another to slowly shun her couldn’t hurt that bad. The pool of water and the two figures beside it soon came into view, the beginning of stars in the sky reflected on one half of the lake while the other reflected the red and orange colors of the setting sun. It was a beautiful array, setting off the colorations of the two females, which Snow was both surprised and pleased to see had been "tainted" by the virus as well. One looked rather normal with earthly colors, though the oddly colored swirl that whirled around her eye gave a different impression. The other was darker with flame colored markings rising up along her coat. Snow’s yellow eyes crinkled around the edges in the customary amused expression. Earth and Fire. But what does that make me? Snow. Water? I look more like Air I suppose. Drawing herself from her thoughts, she slowly approached, her white head held in a comfortable though non-threatening height above her shoulders while her tan tail swayed with her gentle gait.

<p>Noticing her in the encroaching darkness would have been easy, the white front half of her standing out among the shadows while the tan back half of her blended a little better though was still quite visible. Her yellow-gold eyes slid slowly from one figure to the next, gauging their reaction to her approach. Both looked rather friendly, each with a serene expression, almost mirroring the peaceful setting. Odd that she should find such welcoming company compared to what she had left behind. Wonder what they’ll think of my never smiling? Hoping as always to make a decent first impression, Snow inclined her head in a nod of greeting to both wolves, her expression unchanging as usual, rather blank but for the calmness of her eyes. There was no threat here, no reason to worry, something she hadn’t expected to find around other wolves, but it was almost like a relief. At least she found some easy company, and had a decent excuse to give to Haze when explaining why she had taken so long. She stopped a reasonable few paces from them, thinking it would be polite to say something to them instead of ignoring them and proceeding right to the water’s edge for a drink, but she wasn’t sure what had already been said between the two. Assuming a nice hello would do the trick, she spoke softly and slowly, "Good evening. I heard a call, and I was already headed this way, so I came." Her words sounded rather immature to her ears, like she was trying to explain her being somewhere she wasn't supposed to be, but she hoped these two would think differently about them.

Though it seemed she had been intruding upon a conversation already in progress, neither wolf seemed put off by her sudden appearance beside the lake. The gentle air about them seemed to sweep over her as well, and while for a second she had felt she was somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be, both wolves before her seemed to welcome her company. Had she finally found others who wouldn’t shun her because of her ways? They hardly seemed aware of any peculiarities to her appearance, but then again both of them had been visibly touched by the virus as well. Perhaps odd outer appearances were common to them, leaving them without the surprised reaction Snow usually had when seeing someone else “tainted” as herself. Knowing that neither knew of her other peculiar ways, she couldn’t help wondering how they would deal with her off sense of humor or her rarely showing emotion by expressions and the like.

<p>There really was only one way to find out, but the two-toned wolf did hope they wouldn’t jump to the conclusion she either disliked their company, found herself bored around them, or truly didn’t care one way or the other what they thought or said. None were true at the moment, as both wolves spoke friendly hellos and introduced themselves with names and greetings. The tranquil happiness that swam through the air - possibly radiating from the wonderful sight of the sky reflected from the water’s surface - continued to effect her, rendering her relaxed and easy among this newfound company. Wouldn’t Haze be proud? She could already hear him praising her meeting them and possibly gaining a new friend or two.

<p>But here she was getting away from herself. She had no friends so to speak at the moment - not including her winged follower who was more of a worrisome parent than a friend - and she didn’t want to get her hopes up only to have them dashed to the ground again. Making a note of both names given to her, Snow looked at Ceres and Ayita with her usual blank expression, hoping neither saw anything there to cause them to wish her presence gone as she dipped her head politely to them both. For a brief moment, she could have sworn she heard another voice, soft and faint, among them, followed by the rustle of a shrub, but she shrugged it off. Was it not likely it could have been one of their spirit animals keeping watch out of sight but with their presence known? Feeling no threat, though she did feel a tingling along her shoulder blades as if being watched, she went about introducing herself. ”My name is Snow. It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” she stated politely in the friendly tone that would have made her mother proud. Well, if she hadn’t already found her a disappointment, that is.

They seemed to be attempting to make her feel welcome among them, but it only seemed to make her realize how out of sorts she was with her kind. Could her time spent away from others - that little half a year - have really made her lose the connection she was used to feeling when speaking to others? But then how come conversation had come so easily when she had been around the dark colored fellow that she had met earlier? Perhaps these wolves, with their kindness worn so clearly on their sleeves, were a new sight to her that she needed to grow used to. Even her previous encounter with another tainted one had proven to be a good bout with clever words, very different from the statements of loneliness and thanks for the company. Though she was so far away from her mother and disliked bringing her memory along with her where ever she went, Snow could still hear her mother speaking to her, making her own judgments about these new faces she was meeting. Of course there already was little good to say about these two, being obviously marked by the virus, but she was sure she could have at least found something remotely nice to say abou their manners if she had been perhaps...blind.

<p>Where she could have sworn to have heard a voice before, she heard more rustling followed by an exclamation of sorts. The voice sounded awfully young to her ears though Snow had had little to do with young ones growing up and considered herself inexperienced with them. If there was a pup, she was sure she would feel only more confused on how to act. What did you say to pups in greetings? Surely the proper ones she had been instructed were far too formal for their short attention spans. Haze could probably do so much better at this, she mused silently to herself, sending an ear flicking in the direction of the conversation being spoken out of sight. Her flighty companion had a better way with others, an easy air about himself. Of course, that didn't extend to other spirit animals that he usually preyed upon, which to Snow seemed understandable. He would have no doubt been able to find something to talk to these wolves about.

<p>Which gave Snow a brilliant new idea. Try and think like Haze. As easy as it sounded, she admitted it would be difficult. He could hardly describe flying to her; how was he able to explain the way his mind worked? There were only a few times she had even asked questions like why he thought certain things, but each time he had been clueless as ever. Great at speaking, horrible at explaining. While the earthy colored wolf stepped closer, taking a seat to form a sort of triangular pattern between the three of them, Snow attempted to look at things as her snowy owl friend might and failed at it. Resuming her own take on things, she wasn't sure what to make of the female's stating that she had no family or pack in this area. Wouldn't that be true of many others, save the pack members? And speaking of pack, where was Snow to stay? Haze was awfully picky of what kind of territory he was most comfortable in, and she wasn't going to make him change around his standards for a home. With him being her current and only friend, she wanted him to be happy before herself.

<p>The fiery wolf took up her own position to complete the triangle, leaving Snow still standing in her place as when she arrived. She did realize it would be awkward for her to remain standing like this, but her whole point of coming to this lake, aside from settling her curiosity over the howl through the trees, had been to get herself a drink of water. Funny how things could quickly change. And Haze is still out there waiting. The two-toned female was glad at least if she did leave she had a well enough reason to do so instead of making something up off the top of her head. I'm terrified of the dark. Who knows what happens in these parts when the sun is gone? I think I hear my spirit animal calling. These thoughts ran more through her mind because they were interesting rather than because she actually considered using them. Though these two were a lot friendlier than she was used to, she wasn't willing to depart from the nicest company she had met so far.

<p>A rather loud rustle from the area where the noises had been coming from announced the presence of the pup she had heard earlier. She had the air of innocent confidence about her, so sure of herself like all young ones were. Snow could barely remember herself walking around like that. Now her air felt more refined, something that had been drilled into her mind by her mother when she had been young. Though she couldn't remember being a pup herself, she could remember the different treatment she had received; kind smiled and warm statements were constantly sent her way. And then she had age and her fur to come into its abnormal color. Then the attention began to grow less and less, more of it being directed at her brothers instead. For a moment, she practically envied the young colorful wolf, obviously having a life very much different than her own. She gave her head a gentle shake, feeling the blank expression still set in place, to change her thoughts to something more pleasant. A drink.

<p>The pup gave her own little friendly greeting, followed by inquiries from both other female wolves. Snow had nothing really to add to the conversation, both others already stating their desire to know her name. The small bird upon the pup's shoulder caught her interest for perhaps a second, always curious about the spirit animals of new faces. Her eyes shifted to the other spirit animal she had seen, the little mouse that tagged along with the fiery one Ayita, before they settled on the lake. The sunlight barely glimmered along its side of the water's surface anymore, night beginning to slowly take over. "Excuse me one moment," Snow stated, figuring she should get done with what she had planned to come here for now while she was still standing. She moved softly over to the water's edge, dipping her head and lapping gently at the lake, watching the rippled cascading out around where her tongue had disturbed the still reflection of the sky. She payed little mind to the distorted one of herself staring back up at her with the same yellow-gold eyes, knowing this half of her still looked rather normal.

<p>With her fill taken, she lifted her head and licked at her lips, ridding them of any stray water droplets while she turned away from the water and returned to her own designated corner of their triangle. She took up a seat as the others had, holding herself up in a rather dignified manner. Till her face remained unchanging, her eyes moving slowly from one face to the next - dropping to glance at the pup. What more was there to say? Curious to know the name of the little colorful wolf who still had hope at a happy puphood, Snow tilted her head slightly in a questioning manner, waiting for the pup to state her name like her other two new companions.

There was no reservation with the pup named Airia, stating her answer clearly and without pause quickly after it was asked. As most pups, she undoubtedly felt nothing to fear from the world, and considering the kind of company she was currently in it was more true than it could be anywhere else. Ceres and Ayita both were the friendly, almost motherly type, and where better for a pup to find herself? It even looked more appropriate as she went on to speak of the little magpie named Silver as her friend and caretaker. Though her life was probably rather rough for a pup to endure, Snow saw nothing in the demeanor of the colorful furball to say that hard times were wearing on her. She was unafraid of speaking for herself and confident, good qualities that could come in handy later in life when and if she decided to join a pack. But was the little magpie able to care for her properly? The two-toned wolf had to admit, she considered herself far from a capable caretaker, barely able to take care of herself at times it seemed. There would be little help could provide for Airia, but perhaps just keeping an eye out for her when it was possible; she seemed to be fine enough without her help, so why intervene?

<p>It was just after the pup had introduced herself that Ayita, the fiery one, voiced a basic concern: food. How much really was a pup and a magpie able to catch for the young growing wolf to eat? There was no way the little Silver would be able to properly show Airia how to hunt and fend for herself in the world; the idea of it sounded rather silly. She needed to be around other, grown wolves like herself to teach her how to act within a pack, how the pack functioned, how to hunt, and not to mention just spending time with her kind. She's got her whole life ahead of her, Snow thought, wondering if her short time spent away from wolves would hinder her in the future. She was still young, so maybe there was time yet to teach her these things. At least in this respect the two-toned wolf considered herself lucky. She had been taught all these things, and under a good environment for learning too. So what if later on her mother ended up liking her less and less because she wasn't perfect in appearance and mind? The basics had still been given to her, and she hated to see such a young thing deprived of all this.

<p>With the subject of food breached, Ceres made the offer of finding the pup some a meal for herself if she was hungry. The kind gesture was a thoughtful one, and Snow wondered for a moment why she hadn't even thought of it on her own. She had been focused more on the long run of things rather than the here and now. And here and now the pup was currently with them, wolves like her, so part of her worries were already gone. But how long would she stay with them? Or would she really want to for much longer? Remembering a bit of her own childhood, the tainted arctic wolf had to note that pups did tend to want to prove they could do things on their own. It wasn't the brightest thing to do, as her cream colored brother had learned the hard way and her from observing it, but it was just in their nature. And since it came so naturally to them, they needed to have someone to be able to step in and effectively prevent them from doing something harmful to themselves. Either way she looked at it, she couldn't make her thoughts stray too far from the fact that pup really should be looked after by other wolves, even if the little magpie had raised the pup herself so well so far.

<p>Her yellow eyes slid over to the form of the earthly colored one's spirit animal, reminded suddenly of her own. Haze surely would be delighted by her explanation for being late, but at the same time she knew he would be annoyed he had had to worry over her all this time anyway. Such an odd creature he was, yet one of her best and only friends. Her own curious question rising within her about the colorful pup, Snow, turned her vacant expression on Airia. "How long have you been on your own with Silver?" she asked softly, her voice both intrigued and calm. Even if her outer appearances made her look a bit cold and unfeeling, her voice and tone said otherwise. Though it wasn't a familiar feeling to herself, she was concerned about the well being of the young wolf and hoped that somehow Airia could grow into a proper lady fit for a pack instead of a wild vagabond who didn't associate with their kind.

So they apparently hadn't been wandering along for very long, two months the pup had said. They seemed to be doing pretty well together for having been on their own for two months in the wilds without anything bigger to take care of themselves. And for how much longer would they be able to keep it up, this safe living they had so far established? Snow could sense the lands growing quickly by the day, the numbers increasing within this new territory she had introduced herself, and that meant new faces, new friends. New threats. There was always that little pessimistic thought to be considered, even if it was easier to just let it be tossed aside. If you didn't consider it, then there was a better likelihood you would be the one to be targeted. It wasn't nice to consider everyone an enemy right off the get go, but it was better to be safe to at least remember it in the back of your mind. What were the chances Airia had even thought such a thing? The little magpie possibly, but the pup? She was certain it wasn't one of her concerns.

<p>Ayita had the right idea by trying to bring about the pup's opinion on the matter. It seemed clear, as Snow glanced up and over at Ayita and then Ceres, that the two seemed to already be planning to take the pup under their wings to help her along and raise her to be a wolf. Snow wasn't sure where her stand in all this was, since she doubted she would truly be of much help, but it did relieve her a little to know that already someone was willing to take in the young one and see she was raised with the proper upbringing. The earthy colored one pretty much seconded Ayita's statements after that, trying to get the pup to see that spending more time with wolves would be beneficial to her, if not in those words. That seemed to be the clear point they were attempting to make, and Snow sat back listening with her still emotionless expression just taking it all in. It still struck her a little as odd, a bird teaching a young wolf pup to hunt for herself, but apparently from the look of things it was possible, and Silver was truthfully doing a good job if Airia had truly caught a rabbit earlier, even if with a bit of help.

<p>A small part of things that she hadn't exactly heard yet struck a cord somewhere in her mind, and Snow felt inclined to draw it out. Both females were doing their best to coax the pup into agreeing with them, and the two-toned female had no doubt it would be done, but what of Airia's spirit animal? Her yellow-gold eyes settled on the little winged creature for a moment before she let her words out. "Do you agree, Silver? That being around wolves would be good for Airia here?" Snow asked, keeping her voice calm and understanding. If they were as attached as they appeared to be, she had a guess that the pup wouldn't act against the bird's judgment, so she took it upon herself to try and sway the bird into agreeing as well. Seeing her little bird friend agree with them might make the whole decision easier for the colorful pup, and it would get everyone's ideas out into the open as well so nothing would be overlooked.

Snow listened patiently as the bird replied, her white ears flickering every few seconds towards the pup as she rattled off her demands. She sure seemed like the independent type, and Snow had to give her a bit of respect for that. She had been living more or less on her own for quite a while, and so far she had kept herself from being killed. Her demands could probably be easily met in any case. The problem with her deciding whether she wanted to join was obvious; she liked her freedom. The two-toned wolf doubted if Ceres took the pup along with her that she would strap the young wolf to her side and prevent her from doing a little puplike wandering. She would probably be relatively happy with her, and Silver would be able to relax a bit. Or go crazy worrying over another wolf, Snow thought, excluding herself from the picture. She wouldn't be much help, but at least she could help get things in motion.

<p>She gave a nod to the bird to let her know her statements had been caught over the flurry of words the pup had let loose, then turned her head to gauge Ceres' reaction. She didn't seemed put off by the long list Airia had presented to her, which hardly surprised Snow, and Ceres actually sounded like she was in agreement with the pup on most things stated. That was a good sign. If they could start off on good terms, then they could probably keep it that way. They would need that common ground to not be at each other's throats, or at least to keep the peace. Airia was spirited to say the least, but she didn't look like the sort to resort to violence. The question was finally presented, whether Airia and Silver wanted to team up with Ceres and her animal guide, and Snow turned a curious eye on the young wolf and magpie, expecting words of acceptance.

<p>Ayita, when she spoke up, sounded more like she was getting ready to make her farewells, which reminded Snow suddenly of how late she was. Haze will have to understand, she thought, knowing her excuse would be better than anything she could make up off the top of her head. It was probably best she got ready to leave as well. Taking her cue from Ayita, Snow rose to her paws as well, letting out a slow yawn. "I do hope you all take care of yourselves," Snow stated, figuring it was a polite thing to say since she was getting ready to leave them for who knew how long. Maybe they would meet up again later, like Ayita said. She wasn't sure just who she might run into within a pack she would join, but there was always a chance it would be someone she had already met, and these wolves seemed like likely candidates.