It had always been too risky in the far north to dedicate one's time to a pack, particularly a pack constructed of more than just blood connections. The mortality rates were high, and the chance of infection even more so. Food, shelter, all those things had to be fought for enough without the burden of several others. So, Starshade had been raised a nomad, only connected to those that had birthed her or that had been birthed alongside her. Her lessons had been simple: learn fast or die. Move fast, or be left behind. It had only been when she had matured, or come the bad months of winter, that her family had even approached banded groups. It had been there that Starshade had learnt what little pack knowledge she had; submission, bickering, all the challenges that had come with it. She had never grown close to those groups though. Come the warmer months, she and her small family would depart into the tundras and forests once more with only each other (and sometimes even less than that.)

She could not help but think of such things as she sat patiently by, absorbing all the scents and sights that the prairie had to offer. She had fast started to analyze the general topography, observing the way hills flowed into flats and into the forests of the outskirts. It had also been to ensure she had a viable escape route lest her encounter go awry. Behind her, she could quickly tumble her way down the hillside and into the thickets of the Taviora forests. There, she'd be able to make her way to the pack's boundaries fast enough, mixing her scent into theirs before leaving to the south. It was viable, but she hoped she did not need to utilize it.

It took some time but eventually, the fresher scent of a female rose in the wind. The scent was familiar and not only for its blood; the scent had laced the area of battle and now, the borders. Starshade instantly recognized it as the Alpha, a recognition that pushed her back a single step and into a more braced position. Her yellow eyes watched the other, flickering away from eye contact every several seconds, as she came to rise before her. The wounds were obvious, scabbed and tangled into fur and flesh. Starshade could not help but notice them, pondering but for a moment just how severe the other's might have been. She could also not ignore the suspicion that glistened in the female's eyes and body language, a suspicion that Starshade could most certainly understand. In a sense, Starshade was just as suspicious.

She poised herself instinctively, lowering her eyes and allowing them to rest just below the woman's face as she spoke. Starshade allowed several seconds of silence before responding, her voice level and without inflection. It was an honest voice, her tail giving a brief shake to reassure such a thing.

"Winter comes fast. With it, the lands beyond are not so prosperous. I seek allowance to aid in this pack's well being in exchange for my own well being."

She flickered her eyes to the other's than, her instincts instantly registering the predatory stare in the other's eyes. She held eye contact for a moment or two, allowing her own determination to shine through her eyes: she would not be some prey animal, not easily at least. Small as she might have been, she had not lived a life free from her own battles.