Fae had been thinking about hiding from the rain in the old, dusty den, but as she looked up into the silvery clouds, she noticed that it had slowed to a drizzle. She shook off as much of the water that was dragging down her pelt as she could, but it didn't do much good. At the very least, she was able to flick off the drops that had fallen on her white whiskers, helping clear her senses.

She closed her eyes and took in the air around her, enjoying the sweet smell of the rain mixing with the plants around her. It filled her with a sense of calm, shaking away her doubts about what the pack felt about her and her leadership. It didn't matter, if she really thought about it. Her father would support her in her endeavors, and they wouldn't dare go against him. It would be as if you were denying the pack itself, because they would follow her father into any situation. That's how much trust he had gained. Fae only hoped she could gain the same level of faith from the pack in time.

Dijkstra began to think about the future. How would he even lead a pack? His mom tried her best to teach him but she had never really understood it and was happy to just be a female by his dads side. Even his dads beta tried to help as he knew more but Dijkstra just couldn't wrap his head around it. He didn't want a mate if all she was going to do is sit by his side and look pretty. He wanted a mate who could share his interests and would put her own opinions in. He wanted a mate who would help him lead the pack. Dijkstra shook the thoughts from his head and went to stand up forgetting he was under a rock outcropping. As he stood up, he banged his head on the rock "ow!" He practically yelled before carefully crawling out from under the rock.

As Fae took in the crisp air of the forest, the peace was interupted by a yelp. The noise caught her attention, and she perked her ears at the sound. The noise hadn't been far at all, but she couldn't tell which side of the river it had come from. She opened her eyes to look around the environment around her, the lush green trees and grass filling her vision.

Fae began walking towards the edge of the river again, doing her best to pick out any scents that weren't hidden by the now past rain. She was able to pick out the smell of a wolf, because it was fresh, and she thought it was coming from the other side. It was a wolf from the other pack, clearly, although it almost seemed familiar to her. Before she opened her mouth to say anything, she was reminded of her encounter earlier that day, and what she had told the pack, so she was careful not to jump to any conclusions.

"Hello?" She called. "Are you alright?"

Dijkstras ears pricked out the sound of someone's voice. He looked around trying to find who it came from. It sounded familiar to him. Almost important. His ears twitched and before he could realize what he was doing, his mouth open in response. "I'm fine. Just hit my head on a rock." Still looking around. He was at the edge of the border now and one more step would put him in the other packs territory. He sniffed the air trying to pick out the scent of whoever had spoken. He picked out the scent of another wolf from the other pack. He hesitated for a moment before taking a step back from the border so he wasn't as close.

Fae swished her tail, pleased that she had gotten a response. Not just because she was glad he was okay, but it also meant that the wolf hadn't been trying to ambush her. She let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding.

"That's good." She called back. "Are you injured or bleeding at all?" She hoped the wolf would sense her warmness and not see her as a threat. Part of her wanted to see if there was a possibility that the two packs could reconcile, or at least be civil. It seemed to be going well for her so far.

After she had spent a moment processing it, it occurred to Fae that the voice had also sounded vaguely familiar, just as the scent had been. She hadn't crossed paths with any dark wolf prior to that afternoon, so it was puzzling that she would have even an inking of recognition.

Dijkstra took one of his paws and shipped the top of his head. He then looked at his paw for any signs of blood but there were none. "It doesn't look like I'm bleeding. Just a small bruise." He called back. The voice flooding his senses as he tried to emember who the voice belonged to. Then it hit him like running into a tree. It was the female from earlier. The one who seemed to have drawn him in. Something about her interested him. He wasn't sure what though. He went to take another step forward but remembered he was on the edge of his territory so he sat back down.

Fae stepped further away from the river, making her way towards the border. She was hoping to catch a glimpse of the stranger she had been talking too. Something seemed to draw her to him, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it had to do with the familiarity she felt around him?

As she rounded a large tree trunk, she was able to see the wolf at once, and she had to stop herself from gasping. It was the same wolf from earlier that day, that was why she felt some recognition. She paused in her tracks, worried about how he might feel about seeing her again, considering how he reacted to her and Ryko earlier that day.

Fae flicked her ears and averted her gaze, waiting to see what the other wolf would do. He must have known she was from the other pack, maybe he even recognized her voice from before, but he hadn't reacted at all the same as before.

Dijkstra stared intently across the border into the forest until he watched a wolf step out. It was the female from earlier. "I thought I recognized that voice" he said almost as if he was talking to an old friend. "What are you doing by the border? Shouldn't you be in your pack clearing eing watched or have an escort? Isn't that how your pack treats their females?" He had asked so many questions he thought she probably felt like she was being interrogated.

"Sorry didn't mean to interrogate you." He said watching her cautiously.

Fae perked her ears at the male's response. It had been much more empathetic than she'd been expecting, if she was honest. He also didn't seem terribly upset to see her near the border again.

After hearing his questions about why she had wandered towards the border alone, Fae shifted her paws and sighed, ruffling her whiskers as she did.

"It's sort of a long story, but I was kind of running away." She responded quietly. "I'm just frustrated by the fact that I've had a lot of responsibility shoved into my shoulders without my consent, and not many wolves in my pack seems to realize that, or they think I can't handle it. That's really unfair when I didn't even ask for it in the first place, don't you think?"

Realizing she had spilled a little more information than he had probably been expected, Fae shut her mouth and shrugged.

"But it's whatever, I guess. Sorry for getting a little too upset."

She glanced away, focusing her attention on the swaying leaves hiding the darkening sky above them. Her face scrunched into a worried expression, hoping she hadn't ruined any chance of a normal conversation.

"Don't worry. I get what you mean. My mom wants me to take on all this responsibility and I don't even know if imma be good at it. But I don't want to just leave cause I don't want to hurt her feelings but at the sam3 time it feels as if I'm being pressured to do something I don't want to do." He sighed a heavy sigh before looking back at her. "Seems like we both have a lot going on". He gave a small chuckle.