The healer hummed languidly to himself as he wandered, his light brown gaze drifting aimlessly along the winter milieu surrounding him. A freezing wind bit into his flesh as he went, a bitter gust that sliced through his coarse gray pelt and cut deep into his bones. I am very ready for this season to end. He noted haphazardly to himself, a wry smile twitching at the edge of his maw. The snow was nearly suffocating in most areas, and the dry, still air was so frigid he almost felt as if his throat was freezing over every time he took a breath. In spite of his relative aversion to the melancholy weather, he understood that none of it could be helped. The cruel grasp of winter came and departed every year unhindered, and it would continue to do so for millennia. He and his pack mates were merely pawns of nature, inferiorities who could do little more than survive and tolerate whatever changes she initiated. Life would go on, at least for now, it seemed. Anyone could abruptly find themselves consumed by an ailment he lacked the herbs to treat, or attacked by a bear or mountain lion while alone and without aid, or one could even easily tumble down a crack in the mountain passes they couldn't see, crash through the ice over some frozen source of water, take a tumble off the side of an unseen cliff and plummet to their death. He thought it somewhat odd he was entertaining such thoughts before proceeding to wonder, perhaps, if he was unconsciously wishing some great accident like that would sweep him off the face of the Earth.

He shuddered abruptly at the notion, a terror so deep and archaic rising from the depths of his mind he knew he was incapable of ignoring it. He didn't want to die, he knew that. Even after the incident, and the fire, he hadn't wanted to die, in spite of every single one of his loved ones slipping from his grasp. It was the most agonizing cowardice he ever felt, that, despite the world burning to ashes around him, he had been too afraid of death to even imagine allowing it to take him. Jeez, my thoughts are getting morbid. Who am I turning into? He chuckled hollowly to himself as he chased away his shameful memories, his demeanor a bit more dejected than before. He supposed that was the most significant pitfall of his stark lack of courage; in spite of his relative unwillingness to fight fate or change, if the path of his destiny was seemingly rolling towards his demise, he'd be far too petrified to accept it.

The male continued his semiconscious humming as he soon found himself treading through a placid wood, and a complacent smile fell over his maw as he noticed the thick blanket of white thin out beneath his paws. He didn't know where this place was- he could tell he was well outside the pack's borders- but he quite appreciated the serenity of the quiet forest. The atmosphere was fairly pleasant compared to most places, and the world was silent save for the halcyon murmur of the breeze through the tree limbs. Minuscule icicles scintillated in the lambent winter sunlight, and could see the occasional bird flit aimlessly among the branches. He exhaled a long sigh of content as he marveled at the ornate scenery, the numbness of his paws and body momentarily forgotten. Now this is much more to my liking. His burn scar ached slightly from the bitter chill, but he supposed he could ignore it if only to enjoy the placidity; after all, it was nothing a nap couldn't fix, and perhaps a bit of ragwort when he returned to his den.

He searched in calm silence for an amicable place to rest before finally settling down beside the gnarled roots of one of the trees, his disposition peaceful and relaxed. His eyelids drooped lazily as he surrendered himself to the gentle lull of slumber, though his descent into sleep was abruptly interrupted by the sound of paws padding through the thin veil of white. He perked his head up before pricking his ears to listen, taking a deep inhale through his nose to catch an unexpectedly foreign scent. He turned his snout in the direction of the trail to glimpse a small, sandy colored canine plodding past the line of trees behind him, and he stood slowly then, a curious smile falling on his maw. She was unusually diminutive, with a blunter snout than most wolves an oddly large ears. Ever the extrovert, he was instantly compelled to speak to her. "My apologies miss; I hadn't noticed you before. Am I interrupting your walk?" He inquired congenially before getting steadily to his paws, his demeanor casual and easy. "Please pardon my saying so, but I don't believe I've ever seen a canid like yourself before." He noted amiably, a friendly smile pulling at his maw. "You must be a long way from home, I presume."

The male took a seat casually once the fae noticed his presence, his friendly grin entirely undeterred. He tilted his head slightly in obvious curiosity at the name of the strange land she claimed to originate from, and he was even more thoroughly bewildered by the species name she produced for herself. "Australia..." He tested the foreign word out slowly on his tongue, his pensive confusion giving way to easy nonchalance. "It has a pleasant ring to it. Where is that, exactly?" The word sounded so strange to him, and her manner of speaking was alien as well; he couldn't imagine such a place being anywhere within his limits. He flashed her yet another amiable grin before bowing his head in polite greeting, his demeanor as confident and calm as usual. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Narla. I'm-"

He cut his introduction short at the abrupt sound of an approaching figure, and his friendly smile faltered slightly at the sight of the large male, a twinge of cautious nervousness writhing through his gut. He was a massive brown pelted brute with sharp green eyes, and he carried himself with an authority he assumed was reminiscent of a higher rank. He was somewhat surprised when he addressed him, but he recovered swiftly enough, dipping his head in a congenial manner before responding with calm composure. "I serve Alpha Magnus and Alphess Chiara, of Pyrvanthros." He raised his head once more then, his demeanor polite and friendly as he noticed Narla's knowing acknowledgement of the other male. After taking a hasty whiff of the air, he noticed that their scents were fairly similar, and he thought it safe to conclude that they were members of the same pack, a foreign entity to his relatively new dwelling. "My name is Samoset, pleased to meet you both. Might I ask, what pack do you two hail from? I'm fairly new to the area and I have yet to be acquainted with anyone outside of our borders." He inquired amiably, a friendly curiosity tainting his otherwise respectful disposition.

The healer cocked his head slightly to the right in abrupt intrigue, an incredulous smile tugging at the edge of his maw. Opposite seasons? Now you're pulling my leg... The notion sounded distinctly impossible, to think that there was a place somewhere in that moment where he wouldn't be freezing his tail off, and there would be no threat of running short of medicinal supplies. Still, he opted to take her word for it, and he shook off his doubt and disbelief with casual ease. It wasn't like he had been capable of traveling far enough to know for himself, and it seemed as though she was. Ultimately he was aware of the fact that Nature would do what it wanted, as it had done forever, with no regard whatsoever for what he believed practical or possible.

He turned his polite attention back towards the large male as he pondered quizzically over the names of his leaders, his tone cordial and nonchalant. "I believe they were both members of another pack before creating their own, if I remember correctly." His curious brown gaze drifted upwards as he wracked his brain for a label, his expression pensive. "I think it was... Ere... Something. Ah, I know it started like that. I'm really not familiar at all with the other packs that roam around this place. I was a loner before wandering here." From what he could tell of the amalgamated scents drifting about, he estimated there was something like four or five distinct groups, one of which he knew he could attribute to the pair standing before him.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise when the male revealed himself to be an alpha- Desmond, so it appeared, the leader of Agavos. "Oh, I... I'm sorry, I hadn't realized." He stammered somewhat, his confident, charismatic grin faltering somewhat as he bowed his head, abashed and a bit nervous at the realization of his mistake. It was Mae's ingrained teachings that motivated him to treat any potential superior with respect, that and his own cowardice. He wasn't overly acquainted with pack dynamics, but he was hesitant to anger anyone who could be a threat, and he really didn't know how well he could outrun two pursuers. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew Magnus would likely not be pleased to know he had bowed to the alpha of a rival pack, but, as usual, he was more concerned at the moment with preserving his hide. Granted Desmond and Narla seemed congenial enough, but, considering what he'd encountered before, it was best that he didn't take any chances. Better safe than dragging my disemboweled entrails back to my den, anyways.

He lifted his head once more at Narla's inquiry, and he reassumed his kindly disposition, though, his stomach still churned with a concealed uncertainty. Magnus had made him swear his total loyalty to Pyrvanthros before accepting him; was it treachery to share their performance as leaders? After a few moments of consideration, he shoved his inhibitions off, his easy smile returning in full. "Well, this is the first pack I've ever belonged to, so I don't have much of a basis for comparison, but I can say with certainty that both Magnus and Chiara are capable and fair. Though the leadership is stern and orderly, no one abuses their power, and there is a mutual respect between them and the rest of us. It... Well, I guess it... Sort of feels like a family." He hadn't expected himself to say it, but the more he reflected, the more he knew it to be true. Everyone he had met thus far were kind and cared about doing what was best by each other. It was such a sharp contrast from what he had watched Argo thrust himself into, from what he had expected. He was sociable by nature, and his currently lighter feelings were reminiscent of his early life with Raven and Mae.