Tamaska had a rough morning. He was trying to teach his youngest siblings how to howl, but they ended up teasing him for the way he bowled. After they calmed down he quickly got away from them.

After taking refuge by the waterfall, something caught his attention: the smell of blood. He lifted his nose and began sniffing, trying to figure out where it was coming from, when the smell of a stranger wolf reached his nostrils. His ears perked and his hackles raised. Tamaska quickly made his way to the pack where he found Nomad, Matsi, and Catori. They could sense his tension despite his slight tail wag, and they immediately followed him to the waterfall.

Matsi followed beside his brother. “Tamaska, what’s wrong?” Just as the words left his mouth the smell of blood interrupted. Catori and Nomad noticed as well. With that, they followed their brother searching for the stranger.

As the scent grew stronger, they became quieter, tip-toeing through the recently fallen snow.

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Kato knew leaving was the right decision but it made him depressed, sure he'd always wanted to go off on his own some day but not like this, he'd always thought he'd leave in good health and be able to face his mother and sister as they all shared a goodbye no he wasn't able to have that moment, he had to sneak away instead. Kato crossed the river to find his own territory even if it was small and temporary.

Banshee had followed Kato to the river but did not cross. Banshee watched her brother disappear from sight and made no attempt to stop him or call out to him. Banshee instead covered up his trail with her own scent before heading back to the pack. Banshee felt a hollowness deep inside her chest as she walked away.

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Timber wasn't trying to disguise himself at all after he ate. He licked blood from his muzzle and continued his trek. The nearby frigid river was loud, so it helped to keep any other noises from reaching his perceptive ears. Timber hadn't noticed any voices or pawsteps so he proceeded to pad along the shore to get a drink. While he lapped at the moving water, his ears suddenly pricked. It was more of a subconscious reaction to the scent reaching his nose. Wolves! He didn't lift his head but his neck fur rose defensively while his yellow gaze swept the opposite shores and the strips of land surrounding him. He couldn't spot anyone just yet.

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Tamaska was the first to reveal himself, next were his brothers. Catori, however, remained hidden in the bushes, watching.

“Hello,” Matsi greeted kindly.

“Are you on your own?” Tamaska asked the wolf. He wasn’t aggressive, but confident, standing taller than Matsi and Nomad. He was nervous but tried not to show it. If it was only this wolf, they shouldn’t have a problem, but if there’s more... suddenly Tamaska found himself wishing he’d brought Dakota along too.

For once, Nomad was silent in the background. He watched the wolf silently, imagining the life he had. Alone, roaming free, but did he ever get lonely? Did he ever wish for a mate? Nomad was lost in his own thoughts, imagining what his own life would be like if he ever went off on his own.

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The dark gray wolf lowered his ears in uncertainty once he noticed the wolves emerging from the undergrowth. His yellow gaze darted to the confident-looking male in the front of the bunch, showing a bit of fang as a warning. "I'm alone, yes. I'm just passing through." Past experiences when running into a pack's territory hadn't fared well; he knew how protective a pack could be with their space. "I didn't realize there were residents here."

While he spoke, Timber glanced back at the other wolves surrounding the main male. The male who had spoken first seemed kind, which relaxed him a bit. The other's silence was a little off-putting; he couldn't get a great read on them.

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Banshee was deep in thought and wasn't watching where she was going. Banshee bumped into her mother and was about to snap when she seen her mothers heart broken expression, she had no idea her mother had been keeping a close eye one both of them. Banshee had no idea what to say her mother had barely managed to recover from the slaughter of their pack now Kato had left her without a good bye and Banshee had attempted to cover it up.

Sol looked down at her daughter for the first time in months as she held the higher ground. Sol emptied her face of emotion and walked away from her daughter her body was showing signs of restrained anger. Sol let out a quiet snarl and walked back to the pack. The closer they got to the den site the harder it became to hide her anger, Large cracks began to form in her blank expression and slowly shattered it. Sols fur bristled as they finally reached the den site and she looked like she was on the war path. Sol had the Intimidating posture of an enraged Alpha, it was out of character for her to be so angry and aggressive. Sol peaked over her shoulder at Banshee who reacted submissively.

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“Oh that’s alright then,” Matsi responded with a smile. He began to leave but Tamaska stopped him.

“You didn’t notice our scent? We patrol everyday,” Tamaska said coldly. This surprised Matsi, his brother was never this hostile. Matsi nudged Tamaska, trying to get him to stop.

“You should join us,” Nomad piped up. “It’s not safe to be on your own in the winter. Come with me,” Nomad turned to leave. His brother watched him, jaws open. They looked at each other, but said nothing. Something was going on with him.

Catori watched from the bushes. She couldn’t hear what they were saying but she could see that Nomad was leading him towards the den. She was astonished, and began running towards the den. She had to tell Dakota before they led this stranger right to the pack.

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"How dare you? You weren't going to tell me he was leaving! You were just going to let him go and let me never let me know what happened to my son! What is wrong with you?" Sol snarled loudly not caring if anyone heard. "of all my children I never expected this treatment from you! I never got to say good bye and I'll never get that chance again! This always happens and I hate it!" Sol snapped. Sol was clearly angry and was far from done lecturing her daughter.

Banshee cowered in front of her mother and flinched with every snarl and snap. Banshee had never seen her mother this angry before and it terrified her. Banshee wasn't about to interrupt her mother with apologies and get her ear chewed off for it.

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Timber's ears flattened when the male's tone took a turn. He noticed the shock on the other wolf'a face, but trained his gaze on Tamaska. "Frankly, no. I'm near the water, the wind was blowing behind me, and my nose is cold. It's harder to scent in the winter." He held his tail level with the ground, feeling his neck fur fluff again. He tipped his head saying, "I'm confused. Some of you want to shelter me while the others seem to want to chase me away. Which is it? Can't you just let me go my own way? I won't mind a warm den, but I want to avoid a fight."

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“No one will hurt you,” Nomad said to the wolf. “You’ll like our pack, we’re a big family with some others who have joined us. There’s quite a few pups too.” Nomad was larger than his brothers. Of course, he wasn’t very strong, but his size helped a lot.

Tamaska said nothing and began walking to the den. Matsi turned to the wolf. “Welcome to our territory,” he said.

—

When Catori arrived at the density she was breathing heavily. “Dakota, quick. Nomad’s bringing a stranger here!”

Dakota looked at her, then at Nanook. “Let him. Well welcome the guest,” Nanook responded. Dakota looked at Catori, clearly following her fathers orders.

“What? Since when do we welcome strangers?” Catori snapped.

“Since the pups have grown and were no stronger than ever.” Baboon seemed unfazed. He sat near the den opening and waited for his sons to bring the visitor. “We’ve struggled before, the least we can do is help others the best we can.”

—-

Kais attention was quickly drawn from Catori to Sol and Banshee when the pair came to the densite clearly upset. The white wolf walked up to Sol. “Hello Sol, why don’t you come sit with me,” she suggested. Trying to coax Sol away from her daughter.

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Timber sighed softly as the center male turned without a word. He looked towards the others with a dip of his head, relaxing his fur. His body language still seemed tense and uncertain, but he stepped forward to follow the group. "Alright, thank you. Like I said, I won't mind a warm den at the least." His tail lifted a bit as the large male welcomed him. "My name is Timber. And you all?"

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Sol looked over at Kai and glared back at Banshee for a moment. "of course, I could use some time away from my pup" Sol growled lightly but the growl was directed at Banshee not Kai. Sol followed Kai away from Banshee and shook her heavy coat hoping it would settle making her look more approachable. Sol didn't like showing her anger but this is something she couldn't let slide.

Banshee sighed and lay down in the cold snow. Banshee knew better than to aggrivate her mother and instead she decided to rest. Banshee soon fell asleep and dreamed happily about the future.

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Dakota was first to approach Timber. “The alpha is allowing you to stay for the winter. He’s a kind wolf and very forgiving. I am not. The second I feel you are putting the pack in danger, I will take care of you. As long as this is understood there should be no problems.” The large wolf turned and walked towards Nanook.

“Welcome to our pack. I am Nanook, the alpha. My mate, Atlas is currently by the river with our 5 youngest pups. She’s showing them what water looks like as it begins to freeze. Kai and the 3 wolves you met at the river are my other children. Catori as well,” Nanook said this as he gestured to the small wolf who was sitting behind Dakota. She glared at Timber. “I cannot promise that everyone in my pack will be welcoming, but I promise they will not harm you in any way.”

“The two females over there,” Nanook gestured near the den.”are Sol and her daughter Banshee. Sol has a son as well but he’s not here at the moment it seems. They joined us during the fall.”

Ahanu approaches the stranger. “I’m Ahanu. Before Nanook and Atlas were able to keep a surviving litter, they made it a habit to adopt lone pups and care for them until they were old enough to leave on their own. My brother Dakota and I ended up staying with them, and Nanook has been like a brother to us ever since.” With that, Ahanu felt he had said enough. Hopefully this would help Timber understand that welcoming strangers into their pack isn’t a rare occasion. Whenever they can afford too, they help others.

—-

As everyone was greeting Timber, Matsi saw Banshee sleeping, and went to join her. He later down and curled up against her. He could feel how stiff she was and wondered if Kato had left. With a quick look around, he realized he must’ve slipped away while he was with Timber. Guilt ate away at Matsi’s stomach, but he managed to fall asleep anyway.

—-

Kai sat with Sol near the den and watched her 3 pups play. “I’m sorry, you’ve experienced a lot of loss since fall. I can’t imagine what you must be feeling. But I do know that Banshee loves and admired you with all her heart and she would never deliberately hurt you,” Kai said. She didn’t really know what to say, but she wanted to diffuse the situation. A harsh winter was just around the corner, and they needed to have each other’s backs if they wanted to survive.

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"Kato's gone off on his own most likely won't see him again, he was sick and wanted to protect the pack, I realised something was up when they both left so I followed their scent trails to the river by the time I got there Kato was gone and Banshee was covering up his scent so no one would be able to follow him, I don't know what they were thinking trying to hide this from me as if I wouldn't notice one of my own pups missing, didn't get a chance to say my goodbyes before he was gone that's what hurts me the most about this" Sol said quietly. Sol watched the pups play and her expression was soft. "I managed to get my first litter to two years without a problem then Turbo killed most of them and now winter will claim my son and all I will have when this is over Banshee" Sol finishes.

-

Banshee feeling Matsi's warmth snuggled up against him, Matsi had a strangers scent on him she'd ask about it once they were done sleeping for now all she wanted was to sleep peacefully beside her mate.

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((Not able to post today. Hopefully I will tomorrow))

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