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Post for Jade who has permission to post
(Hope you don't mind if I skip forward a tick, lost exactly where we were. So last I remember Neka agreed to come. We'll say this is the next morning?)

Elphaba stood at the bank of the half frozen river, pawing at thin looking patches in a now practiced manner. Her ears flicked back in vague annoyance. Why was it that the water near the banks would freeze but just out of her reach it would continue to run? Her tough nails cracked the sheet of ice and she hewed away bluntly at the hole until it was large enough to drink from. She lapped at the cold water hastily, splashing tiny droplets on herself. When she pulled back her muzzle was cold and chilled even more by the wind. Elphie sighed. Winter was such a pain. She swiveled her head to the trees and immediately flattened her ears against her skull as an icy breeze ruffled their delicate insides uncomfortably. She should return to Neka; it was high time for the the pair to journey south.

Elphie padded quickly through the half melted snow, eager as ever to depart. Home, she was going home to her pack, where she belonged now more than ever. These no mans lands had an underlying allure of freedom, but Elphie's little break from pack-life had only further assured the she-wolf that the only place for her was her established position under her friends.

She didn't bother to mask her delight that Neka had agreed to join her and her spirits were high. However as her green eyes flicked to the sky her lip curled in a grimace. It seemed thick, heavy, and ready to break into snow. More snow.

She trotted up to her friend briskly and gave him a nudge to his hind leg with her muzzle. "You about ready?" She wuffed, her tail curling slightly in her anxiety to depart.

Elphie thought a moment, and then nodded with a smile. "We have a lot of wolves, but more the merrier. I'm sure they'll be fine," Her voice was full of confidence, perhaps more than ought to be presumed, but Elphie wasn't worried. She was very close to her alphas and knew they'd want to accomadate for her as she'd want to for them. Plus, a little voice in the back of her mind couldn't help but remind her, she was the Beta female. That had to give her some power.

The she wolf's gaze scanned through the trees thinned by winter and settled on the obscured sight of the river. "Well... we can follow the river southbound?" She said, her tail wagging gently as she started towards the bank, checking over her shoulder to make sure Neka would follow.

Elphie's ears absently flicked into their regular forward position and a quick chill quickly reminded her to lay them against her head one by one once more. She huffed out a quick breath of air, rolling her shoulders back. Her muscles were warming up, stretching and contracting, adjusting to the rhythm of her stride pleasurably.

"How's your back?" She queried towards him, glad that he'd joined her quickly. Her green eyes flicked over his lame shoulder, a form that she was almost growing fond of. She hoped her pack would like the male.

The shewolf gave a good humored snort at his last remark, but didn't comment. Her paws continued their muffled patpatpat ryhthm on the soggy ground. "It's nice that you're coming, Neka," She said after a moment, attempting to divulge her growing attachment to the other. It didn't come out quite as fluid as she'd liked, but it was a start. Her green eyes cautiously flicked over to him for a moment, then darted away.

"Besides Selia and Devvyl there aren't many wolves I can really talk to," She said, tacking on a confessional to take some attention away from her previous statement.

"I do," Elphie confirmed. Her facial expression was more of a deadpan than usual, but one might have noticed that she looked down to study the ground intently, becoming overabsorbed in her own pawsteps.

She did like Neka. She liked his brown fur. She liked his unique dialect. She liked the fact that despite being handicapped, he was one of the most carefree wolves she had met.

And it worried her. Previously, feelings like these had ultimately led to rejection. There could have been a falling out after the male's decision if Elphaba had not been so close to both Selia and Devvyl. But Neka hadn't known Elphie as a pup. If she took a chance again would she lose what friendship she had of the male? The shewolf's actions tensed visibly and she fluffed her coat uncertainly.

She shook herself light and her expression cleared as she met his gaze and nodded. "Yeah--Sorry. Just thinking," She had her eye on the red-brown male, but couldn't admit it yet. She couldn't get her hopes too high until things had settled back with the pack life. The new pack's safety was more important than Elphie's own interests right now. Especially with Selia's pups on the way... had they already arrived?

Elphie felt a pang of guilt, realizing that her alphas pups very well may be already born when she got back.

"I know they'll like you," She wuffed in sanguine tones, her tail giving a gentle wag in trail. "Ah.. There may be pups, though--" She figured she should warn him. It was hard to imagine Devvyl being vicious, but she had to admit, it wasn't the best time to introduce a foreigner with the young ones due.

Picturing Selia angry was even harder than thinking of Devvyl mad. Elphie chuckled freely, with an amused nod. The levity strengthened her spirit and the genial tones were doing the female's mood good.

Beside the two wolves the mouth of the river opened lazily, winding around a frigid little isle to form a silvery lake, ringed at the edges with ice. Under their paws, the earth changed to a mix of grit as the trees fell back, leaving a sparse, frozen beach.

"Halfway there," The shewolf said brightly. They were making good time. The first move had taken three days, but there had been pups and blizzard conditions. They had neither this time around, but every time Elphaba looked over her shoulder towards the north, something about the sky made her stomach clench instictively. There was something big brewing. How far south would this storm come?