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"Yes," she agreed. "This does not sound like the gentlest of packs, compared to some, but there are others. Cruel. Dark."

She considered his words, ruby eyes wandering around their surroundings, but not really looking at them. Yes. She would have to investigate these warriors more thoroughly. See what she could learn of them and from them.

"How is it, then, that the queen came to have an assassin as her consort? That does not sound like something this pack would sanction. Is it because she is so fair?" She paused. "How did it happen, exactly?"

Interesting. It sounded like the queen's consort might be the only relatively free male in the entire pack. She would definitely have to put him on her list of wolves to speak to. His was a story she wanted and she would have it, one way or another.

"He sounds like he has quite a bit of leniency, this consort."

A slight change of scenery. Senka spotted the clawed-up tree, the trampled grass. The scuff marks in the earth. Ah, but she recognized this.

"A training ground, hmm?"

"Of course," she agreed easily. It would cost her nothing to make him anonymous. In fact, since none of those stories pertained to him directly, it would be no trouble at all. Just something snatched out of the ether.

Oh? And now he was getting all nervous about her, questioning her motives after telling her all sorts of things he should not speak of, or possibly even know of. Maybe she should cheer him up

"I did not say," she replied with a grin. "But I am from the mountains, since you ask. Surely you're not going to start asking all civil toward me, now? Not after such a pleasant greeting earlier."

Her grin softened to a distant smile as she though of her home. She had no kin to tie her anywhere. With Bryanni dead, she did not really have many friends in the pack either. Her rather...unique temperament kept many at bay, and she did not deem some of the rest worthy of her attention. Others, she simply had no real reason to see most of the time. Perhaps, then, she should feel no real affection for her pack, but that was not the case.

Part of it was certainly her duties. Though Senka loved traveling and would eek out every last second of time that she could from her journey, the heart of her purpose was at home with the pack, protecting their lore and passing it on. However, part of it was the fierce, if perhaps somewhat perverse pride that she took in the pack itself. Yes. Polum'ya wolves thrived where many would perish. They withstood assault where most would fall. They survived for centuries untold where others would become long-forgotten dust. It was a strong pack and she loved it.

But he had not been asking about the pack. At least not directly.

"The mountains..." she mused. "They are so tall that they pierce the sky. The winters are long and harsh. The blizzards are fierce enough to blot out the sun for hours on end. An unwary wolf could easily freeze to death one lonely night, or be buried alive 'neath an avalanche, or crushed by a rock-slide.

"Yes. It is dangerous, but it is also beautiful. The endless white after a fresh snow. The glittering ice. The howling of the wind. Of course, the summers are pleasant. Mild compared to the weather I have seen in other parts of Telk."

She cocked her head at the male. "Or is it the wolves that interest you?"

Senka's tail twitched.

"Certainly not," she said. "Until I started traveling, I would not have thought anyone would do such a thing." Ah, but would he understand that? Her world must surely be as foreign to him as his was to her.

"My pack has warriors and hunters and teachers, and a few other special positions, but we have no slaves." What would he make of that, this male born in servitude? Would it seem as strange to him as his life did to her? Could he imagine it?

For that matter, was she stirring seeds of rebellion? Well, if she was, she doubted she would care.

"Many things," she affirmed. Oh, yes. She was definitely sowing something here, be it rebellion or some other cause. If she were a gentler wolf, she would never speak of such things to him. It might give him unreasonable hopes. It might make him even more miserable than he already was. Ignorance is bliss, or so they say. Who knows? It might even unbalance the pack or make her enemies.

But Senka was not so gentle. Ignorance was not bliss, it was just the denial of reality. If some major incident occurred in the pack, well, perhaps it was long passed due for a change. If she gave him hope, maybe he would use it to get free. Surely anything was better than this. Given the option, she would rather be in Reign of Terror than live the life that these males had. It might be cutthroat, but at least they were both honest and equal about it, in their own way.

"We have many strong male warriors, and I have met male storytellers. The fire-keeper and one of the betas is male. It is more common for a male to rule a pack than a female," she listed, then stopped and grinned teasingly at him.

"But you did not hear such things from me."

Senka's brows raised. Well. She supposed she should have seen that one coming. However, that presented quite a few problems.

"I will not stop you if you really want to come," she said. "But neither will I be held responsible for stealing away one of Antianeira's males. I do not know how angry they would be if such a thing occurred, but I will not bring war to my pack."

She held his eyes, trying to decide just how serious he was about this spur-of-the-moment demand.

"If you want to come with me, you will have to get out on your own. Preferably either before or after I leave. But think on it carefully. There will be no going back if you choose such a path."

My, oh, my. What was this? Was he feeling a little...shocked, perhaps? Flustered? Amusing though that may be, she supposed she could hardly blame him. What a sad life he must lead. Or perhaps he did not really want to escape at all, and she had provided him with the possibility of something he did not want. Well, she would deal with it when the time came.

Until then, she had stories to collect.

"Very well," she agreed. "Lead the way."