Welcome to Gaia! ::

((For some reason, Possum's parents sound familiar to me. Lol I'm probably either nuts, or they're from back when I was around. Forgive my rusty wolf-rp skills. I'll get into the swing of it soon!))

Calandra sighed and felt it get caught away by a sudden breeze. She missed Phib and the others, missed the fact that the pack she had finally found was so far off, but she'd had to try. With everything having gone right for her in the last two years she had to at least check and see if any one else had... survived. Something she'd missed as a pup, when she was running scared. Even after going back to local packs, there was nothing left there for her, but at least now she knew.

Being older and pack-affiliated had the advantage of giving her some confidence when dealing with other packs. When you were alone there was nothing you could say to back yourself up. Even if you avoided confrontation the way Cali did, run ins were inevitable in the wide world, and with Phib and the others as a silent promise to her she knew she had a place to return to. And the thought of return was a happy one.

Cali lifted her nose to the wind and caught the sent of a river or stream close by, over the overwhelming scent of pines. No sea yet; she had a long way to travel before making it back. A year... Cali shook her head and trotted towards the scent, ears pricked forward. Just because she was a bit older and "safe" in a pack didn't mean she'd forgotten how easy it was to stumble across someone if you weren't looking for them.

A brief scent caught her and she stopped, one paw raised in the air as she tried to catch it again. Wolf. Male wolf. Her hackles instinctively raised, but she forced herself to lower her paw and cautiously head in that direction. She couldn't smell anyone else, so he might be alone. Not safe, but she was fast-- it was what made her a good Hunter-- and she could probably outdistance him if things became... unpleasant.

Cali glided through the trees, silent on the blanket of pine needles, and hunkered low to the ground behind a tree when she saw the outline of a wolf under a nearby pine. Her nose assured her he was the only wolf in the general area, but she let her teal eyes check around her, just in case. Nothing visible either. He was young, probably just into adulthood or not quite there, and-- did he have a dead animal on his back?

Cali cocked her head in confusion. What? No no, that was a marking. A very odd, detailed marking, but she couldn't smell food, and it was lying flat to his back. There was no way it was another animal. Her feet pushed her back up and she cautiously approached him from the side, movements slow and easy. If he was a lone adolescent, it usually went one of two ways: he ran from her or she ran from him. She really preferred the first one over the second. Violence really didn't suit her.

"Excuse me. Are there any pack lands nearby?" There was always the possibility she was about to inadvertantly stray into a pack's lands through an unmarked, unguarded spot. That happened to her a lot. It would be a good idea to check, just in case.

"I intend on avoiding them with all possible ability," she promised him. "My plan is to meet no more packs than I have to on my way back to my own pack." The thought still sent a pleasant tingle through her. Perhaps she should have stayed longer before she went off to quest for her own past...

"Our?" She repeated, studying the badger on the boy's back. Now that she was closer, Cali thought that that might not be a marking after all... "You and others left, because of a war?" That confused her as well. "A war between wolves?"

Cali had never heard of such a thing, but with the agression of some wolves, it made sense such a thing could happen. Not exactly her cup of tea. She'd have to certainly give those lands wide berth on her way home.

"A large family. That will be good for you if the lot of you are packless." She kept the thought that it was better than being alone to herself. "I am Calandra, of the Outriders pack. So your Alpha and the Alpha of a bordering pack are... at odds." Cali looked off into the woods as if she could see the packs now. "That's unfortunate that you were forced to leave your homes."

Images of fire flashed through her mind and she looked back to Possum, smiling back at him. "I trust I won't have to worry about your parents minding me passing through?"

"I know you chose, but would you have left if war hadn't threatened you?" Cali slowly sat herself down on the ground, still keeping her ears open for any signs of movement. She didn't want to find out that the pack he was talking about was closer than she expected.

"If they're starting war, perhaps the wisest move would have been the best in any case." Calandra sniffed the wind, checking again, before she relaxed her shoulders slightly. How far was she from the sea? She'd been walking for ages, and she only hoped she hadn't gotten turned around somewhere.

"How far away is the coast, Possum? Do you know?" She looked down at him, one warm teal eye catching a patch of light that broke down through the canopy and brightened only part of her face.

Calandra felt her skin raise in goosebumps at the mention of his father being a shaman, and she regarded the boy curiously. If his father had the Ability, it might run through his veins as well. Raised as she was with a Friend, and primarily with other Friends, Cali could appreciate the magic and strength in shaman's and Seers. Sometimes they could scare her, but she could appreciate their gifts.

A smile split her lips and switched her tail a few times, just as a casual sort of action. "If you could show me the way, I'd appreciate it. Once I am at the sea, I should be able to find my way up or down coast to where I need to get to."

Cali looked into the woods for any sign of Possum's siblings or family. His was as large a family as hers had been. Good. It was good to know large litters still existed. Of course, with some of the Outriders's litters... She shook her head at her own thoughts and stood up, stretching out her front legs as she did so before she wagged her tail a few times.

"Lead on," she offered, grinning. Knowing a wolf was safe was enough in her book to relax some, and he was young and thoughtful. Cali didn't know well enough to say if he could be a Beta, but on the off-chance that that thoughtfulness contributed to being a shaman in the future, Cali thought it was all right to be fairly comfortable around him now. Show him that not all wolves wanted to wage war the way the neighboring pack seemed to want.

The snarl caught her attention, but she neither smelled nor heard anything to imply that it was at something other than Possum's own thoughts. He'd seemed fairly calm until then, however, so it must have either been a natural temper showing through, or a particularly nasty memory.

Cali followed quietly in his footsteps, not feeling the need to make any more noise than she had to on the journey. When the smell of the ocean reached her nose, she had to resist breaking into a run. That wouldn't be very adult of her at all. Still, once the sand was under her feet, Cali felt better for it. It was strange how a mere year with a pack was enough to make her miss even the wolves she barely knew.

"I hope I get there safely as well. Thank you for your help." She smiled at him and tilted her head. "If you're ever--" She looked out at the ocean and up and down the shoreline. Wait, which way was she going? Cali trotted a little further forward, into the ocean, and peered as much as she could around a jutting cliff. A particular rock formation stood out to her and she smiled again before getting back to shore and shaking herself out.

"If you're ever up that way," she motioned with her head, "Or need help, drop in and say hello. Tell whichever Outriders member you meet that Calandra said it would be fine to visit. I don't think Phib will mind too much."

Out of habit, she sniffed, to make sure the area was clear, and froze with her eyes darting about the wood's edge. Wolf. Possum's words about war struck Cali again. Cali kept her hackles down and slowly looked at Possum again, trying to remain calm. He was a young adult, but for her that was as good as a pup, which meant he needed protection.

"Perhaps I should take you back to your family before I go. I've been here once, I won't lose my way again. I'd feel better if you'd let me meet your parents, actually. If you don't mind." Her eyes moved back to the trees again, searching for any sign of movement. Maybe her nose was playing tricks on her... but Cali wasn't usually wrong. If you were wrong as a Hunter, you were very quickly not a Hunter anymore.

Cali followed him back towards the woods, staying slightly to his left. Her hackles lifted slightly as she watched the trees. An ambush wouldn't end well for either of them; Cali could fight if she had to, but she hated it and the boy was courageous, but not strong enough to face an adult male. The real question was if the male was a loner, and if he meant them harm. Calandra didn't know the area well, and that was a mistake she should probably rectify.

As they drifted silently through the pines, barely stirring the needles as they walked, Calandra was on high-alert and after a few minutes she was strung so tightly that a chipmunk skittering by would probably have made her snap at it before she thought twice. There was a child she needed to protect; she couldn't just run from the trouble this time.

Slowly, scents of other wolves began to drift to her and she took a deep inhale. She couldn't smell the first stranger any more, but she could smells other, fainter scents here. Probably from Possum and his family passing through. If she had the chance, she should ask his mother or father about the local pack lands and what she needed to know to travel safely through or around them.