Everything about the encounter and aftermath gave the russet woman more than an idea. Throughout the following season she had listened patiently to Moteuh’s excited, but disappointed, words about her encounter with the wolf she had met in Asteraia. She had hushed the girl into quiet with promises of happiness and joy, lulling her into dreams of fable and fantasy. As she slept, Vitaliya’s eyes and thoughts remained awake, dull yellow eyes peering through the darkness as if she could see into the future and the spoils it held.

Winter had struck, and struck hard. The tumult of the lands were not secret to anyone alive. Vitaliya was willing to bet even the dead knew the storms that were brewing in the hearts of their offspring. So many curses and cries went out to the deaf ears of those already dead. She watched as nature slowly started to take its grip on Diveen, stealing from it the natural warmth and prey those who lived there had begun to rely on. Licking her lips in contemplation, she figured how was as good of a time as any to make the move. Without a word to anyone, she pressed her head to Moteuh’s shoulder and encouraged her charge to her feet. W...where are we g...going…? She asked breathlessly, her whole body shaking in the cold. To see your friend. responded the woman with a sensitive warmth that would have melted the ice around them.

Together they made the treck to the plains of Asteraia, Vitaliya supporting Moteuh all the way. Their time was fairly swift, all things considered. By the time the reached the border, Vitaliya’s lips curled just so with pride. It seemed as though Moteuh was indeed getting stronger with every month. As the brown pup laid beside the red woman, it was clear the misshapen creature was excited, her tail creating a fan in the snow behind her.

Vitaliya glanced down at her and smiled before letting her face turn once more to stone as she called for the leaders of the pack. She knew she had once come into Asteraia, uninvited in defense of her charge, her name possibly slightly dirtied by that encounter. She hoped, as she stared on with her cold gaze, she would be able to clear that up, and offer an alternative image. Beside her, Moteuh wiggled with unrestrained excitement. I g..get to s...see my friend! She whispered loudly, head falling to her paws, but her eyes alight!