Have We Met? [P]

The Spring Pack territory was by far the prettiest land Xandria had ever seen in her 6 months of exsistence. Though she hadn't ever left the safety of her mother's hidden den, she had heard and dreamt of the rest of Canin and of course her pack always had the best territory compared to the others...at least in her dreams. While Velena was attending and planning to very important business, she had took the time to sneak away and head to Mirror Lake. The crystal clear water showed a reflection of everything she had yet to see, and she jumped and ran around in excitement; chasing after Frogs and butterflies. As her stamina began to increase, she neared the shore and climbed onto a rock, look over the land her mother was in charge of. Xandria was extremely small to be a 6 month old, having been the runt and all; so while most pups her age looked well on their way to teenager status, she still looked like a puppy. A tiny one at that. In the distance she thought she heard a howl, and so she let out a small howl of her own, only to find out it was simply the wind taunting her. She slumped down into a laying position and allowed her head to rest on her paws, her tail flicking left and right in content.

Rayne was headed for another patrol round the territory when she caught the swift scent of someone she didn't quite recognize. At first, she thought it may have been an intruder. Her low grumble began to rise then fall when she caught something she did recognize. "Velena?" She said the name to herself in bewilderment. The Patrol wolf sat down for a minute to contemplate what she was sensing. Velena was with the Guard discussing the upcoming takeover, why would she be out here. Rayne couldn't think of any reason she would be out her other than perhaps to quench her thirst. Politics did make one thirsty....

The female rose to her feet and trotted onwards toward Mirror Lake, deciding now would be a good time to inform the she-wolf of her skirmishes with Silas, Talena and Myra and the Witch Annularis. Witches were useful, she wondered if Velena would request Annularis to come to spring again. After all, Rayne never got the chance to ask where she came from, and like most witches she had met in her lifetime, Rayne figured she belonged to no one and might be available for employment.

When she came to the lake of course, Rayne did not expect to see a six month old pup blowing in play at the waters edge. Valenas scent was heavy on the pup, and Rayne watched with curiosity, wondering which pup this was, for the lady knew of Fergus, but not this runt. She didn't even know what to say to it. She dumbfounded, unmoving.

The wind blew through her fur casually, and Xandria was now laying on her back, twisting and turning on the boulder she had perched on and playing with a few fly away leaves as they passed her. She hadn't noticed the female wolf approaching her until the wind shifted, and carried the scent straight through her tiny nose. Getting up suddenly and shaking out her pelt, Dria bared her teeth and let out a small growl, glancing around and trying to figure out the source of such a smell until she saw the female. She knew that her mother would've wanted her to head home immediately , as it wasn't safe for her to be away for such a long period of time but as most pups do; she decided to disobey her. Sitting back down, her head cocked to the side and she shot the stranger a curious look.

"Are you lost?". Naturally Dria hadn't met another wolf besides her mother, but because Vel had taught her how to defend herself in the need of emergency and she was pretty much treated like a princess, the young pup felt no need to be frightened. A bird flew overhead and she watched it, momentarily distracted before turning her attention back to the situation at hand.

Rayne stared in bewilderment at the young pup as she asked if she were lost. "aren't I supposed to be asking you that?" She automatically responded, slightly embarrassed a pup would even ask her such a question when, honestly Rayne, should be asking this pup if she were lost. The stormy she wolf stepped forward a few steps just as the pup became distracted. She took the moment to take in the pups scent to make sure nature herself wasn't playing tricks on Rayne. She remembered the interaction with the Witch and Nevir and wandered if a witch were here now, masking herself as a lost pup with Velenas scent on her. Witches had many mysterious powers an Element wolf wouldn't fully understand. Rayne never fully trusted a witch, and this might not have been a good time to test her theory, but what else could she do? She had no knowledge Velena was hiding a pup, and Rayne found that highly unlikely.  

When the pup came to, Rayne voiced her thoughts the best she could without much insult if there were any. "You're either a witch, or a lost pup shrouded in magic that falsifies your scent to be that of another. Which will it be."

The young pup hadn't expected such a response from the female in front of her, and to her it was quite mean. Velena had told her if she ever ran into any trouble to call her, as she was the leader and that's exactly what Dria was about to do; because how dare someone call her a witch. A growl slipped through her mouth and she glared at the female, puffing out her chest in an attempt to look bigger and stronger. She had a little bit of temper of her mother and it was certainly about to flare.

"I am no witch, and I haven't even met such bullies. My mother would not appreciate you talking to me like that, she's very powerful and very protective of me, being her youngest. As a matter of fact, I'm going to call her now. We'll see how you deal with the one you may know as Velena." and with that she raised her snout to the sky, preparing to howl for the one she knew would protect and comfort her.

Rayne couldn't help but think how cute the pup appeared to be when she puffed up. To Rayne, it reminded her of a squirrel, at least her face did. When she threatened to call Velena put a paw to the pups mouth before the howl could escape her small jaws. "Alright, young one, I believe you." She said with a chuckle. She wasn't afraid of Velena, but this time of year was important. If this pup was telling the truth, Rayne wanted to know what was going on. "My name is Rayne Gray. I patrol your territory. I have a great respect for your mother." She settled to the grass. "What's a young Lady like you doing way out here on you're own, anyway?"