A stroll through the forest

Rajh made his way into the surrounding forests. He looked back at Rain for a moment. "Come on, don't lag behind...there is much to see." He then turned to Tripod making sure he too was keeping up.

Tripod grinned at Rajh and raced to his side. "You ought to know by now that I can keep up just fine Rajh." he said laughing a bit. He too looked back to make sure that Rain was behind them. "This one's adventerous..." he thought to himself. "We're really gonna have to keep a close eye on her."

"Yay!" Rain ran to keep up with Tripod and Rajh. Once she was up to their side, she picked up pace and ran past them. She then saw a little stream in their midsts. She ran over to it and lapped up some water then splashed in the stream. With a swipe of her paw, she splashed both Tripod and Rajh. "Got ya!" She said giggling at them.

Tripod laughed and shook off. He gave Rajh a slight grin and then raced towards the stream, splashing Rain in the process. He continued to laugh and shook himself off once more.

Snow Star watched from the shadows as the young pup played with Tripod and Rajh. She was unfamiliar of there being pups in the pack and couldn't help but wonder who she belonged to. She walked closer but still kept herself well hidden out of view for the time being.

Rain laughed as she was splashed but as the wind picked up she smelt a new scent in the air. She stopped to sniff. She looked around but saw nothing. She ran over to Tripod and Rajh, "Is someone here?"

Snow Star stopped dead in her tracks. She knew that Rajh and Tripod would not hurt her but she still decided to be cautiuos never the less. She gazed at the young pup and wondered if maybe she was a stray being lead back to the alphas.

Rajh walked over closer to Tripod and Rain. He too had picked up the scent but there was something familiar about it. Who ever it was, they were of the Animus pack or at one time had been of the pack. He pushed Rain behind him and Tripod. "Stay close to us little one." he said in a low tone. He gazed into the shadows hoping to make out any figures who might be hiding in them. He sniffed again as he bared his teeth. "Show yourself! I know you're there!" he bellowed.

Tripod stayed close to Rain. It was true that the scent was of the Animus pack but that didn't mean a thing. There were those who used to be part of the pack that had turned against them and so caution was needed. The fur on the back of his neck began to rise as he waited for whoever was hiding in the shadows to show themselves.

Snow Star knew that Rajh and Tripod had every reason to be cautious, especially with a young pup in tow. Never the less she slowly made her way out of the shadows. "You ought to know me better then that by now Rajh." she said softly. She walked closer to the trio and her tail had began to wag. It had been a long time since she had been around anyone in the pack since she had been away for so long. She then turned her attentions to Rain standing behind Tripod and gave a smile. "So who's pup is that? I don't remember anyone in the pack having pups."

A smile grew on Rajh's face as he watched the pure white female come out of the shadows. "Indeed I should, Snow Star." he said in a calmer tone. He turned and nodded for Rain to come out from behind Tripod. "As for this young one, Destiny had adopted her. She is back at her den with her newest addition as well but we're showing this little one a bit of the territory to give Destiny a bit of a break." He took a calmer stants and sat himself down. It had been such a long time since he had seen Snow Star and he was glad of her company. "So what brings you back this way?"

Snow Star smiled at the young pup. She always knew that Destiny had a kind heart and wasn't at all surprised that she was now a mother. "It is a pleasure to meet you Rain." she said softly as she looked down at the youngster. She looked back at Rajh and Tripod for a moment. "I have been gone so long and I thought it was time that I rejoined the pack. I see you two have decided to do the same."

Rajh nodded with a smile. "It would appear that everyone is coming back into the fold now a days."

Tripod wagged his tail and walked over to greet Snow Star. "It is great to see you Snow Star. I hope you have been well." He then looked down at Rain. "Don't worry, she's one of the pack as well. You have nothing to fear from her."

Rain came out from behind Tripod and Rajh. She wagged her tail and danced around Snow Star. She was happy she was meeting so many kind wolves. She was eager to learn about this new wolf she had never seen before, as she is with everyone she meets. "Hi, so you're part of the Animus pack too? And you left for a while? What were you doing and where were you going?" She smiled as she wagged her tail and sat down eager to hear Snow Star's story.

Snow Star looked at Rain for a moment and smiled. "Yes it is true I did leave for a while but I left for personal reasons. I have traveled all over the territory and seen many things..." She paused for a moment and looked at Tripod and Rajh. "Curious little thing this one is..." she thought to herself. She shook her head, not wanting to explain herself too much. "The important thing is that the pack is coming together once again." she said smiling at the pair of males. "So what of you little one? How did you come about?"

Rain wagged her tail at Snow Star, "I'm part of the Animus pack now too! I was a stray..." She paused for a brief moment and lowered her head. "My pack was small, I was the only pup and only survivor. I'm not really sure what happened. I emerged from my den to find my whole pack had been killed, every one of them." She then let out a sigh.

Snow Star's smile soon began to fade. She looked down at Rain and gave her a bit of a nuzzle. "I'm sorry to hear about your pack little one. That must have been awful for such a young pup like yourself to see."

Tripod made his way over to Rain and Snow Star. Trying to lighten up the mood a bit he said, "So who's hungry?" He looked over at Rajh for a moment and then pointed in the direction of the woods.

Rain turned to Snow Star, "It was awful...but I'm grateful to be alive and I am now a part of the pack. I have a loving mother and lots of friends. I don't think I could be happier or any more luckier then I am." She stopped for a brief minute. "Actually things would be really great if I had a daddy too..." She wasn't aware that she had said that out loud. She then took note of what Tripod had said, wagged her tail and then turned to him. "Yay! Grub! What's for eats?"

Rajh looked at Rain for a moment and then back to Tripod. He cleared his throat and headed off into the woods. He turned back for a moment and looked at the others. "How does deer sound?" he said with a smile.

Tripod gave a nod to Rajh as if to thank him. He followed him into the woods and licked his lips. "Deer sounds great to me." He then turned his head back for a moment to see if Snow Star and Rain were following behind them.

Snow Star looked down at Rain. "I take it that Destiny has taught you a bit about hunting has she not?" She nudged the pup gently to make sure she stayed in front of her and made her way into the woods to join Tripod and Rajh. She paused for a brief moment though. She thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She looked down at Rain once more. "Stay close little one." She growled a little and began to sniff the air. A strange scent filled the air, someone else was in the area besides them. She wanted to warn Tripod and Rajh but they were already ahead of her and Rain. The fur on the back of her neck began to stand up and she lowered her head to growl once more. "Whoever you are, you better show yourself!" She bared her teeth and bellowed the words in a harsh tone.

Silver Mist slowly approached Snow Star and Rain. She was happy to see other wolves but still was unsure of they would respond to her presence. She walked closer and tucked her tail between her legs. "My name is Silver Mist. I did not mean any harm I was just looking for refuge."

Snow Star stared in disbelief. "She's just a pup..." she thought to herself. There was something different about her though. She was not like any pup she had seen before. Still, she was only a pup and certainly couldn't be of any threat to them. She called out for Tripod and Rajh, "Hey you two! We have a bit of a situation here!" It was not up to Snow Star whether or not Silver Mist could stay or even seek refuge with them. That decision was totally that of Naava and Yita's. She sighed for a moment as if she didn't know what to think or do. Every instinct in her told her to help but she wasn't quite sure. "So much for the hunt..." she said to herself quietly.