So I should have known why,

Umbra wasn't ever really far from @Aurora, and most likely the other would follow her regardless. Yet she couldn't help but wander around, with a newfound curiosity of the world that she hadn't had before. She was too young previously to bet let loose, confound to the now ruins of a pack grounds, but was a more free-spirit now that she traveled with another. And she definitely was not chasing a butterfly and got lost.

.. She knew where she was in these woods.

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 They didn’t know where they were or how they’d gotten here really. They just knew that they were separated. That Aurora was not here and that they could not locate them. They didn’t know what to do. There was a familiar panic rising in their chest, terrified. Fear didn’t help. Fear made it worse…

 They wandered, searching but never finding. Their coat and scales became unkempt once more. Their eyes glazed, their bodies skinny. They would catch and eat when necessary but would drive themselves onwards. They’d found no souls to speak with, no souls to talk to but each other.

 But then… The Soul caught a scent on their flickering tongue. It was hopeful. Injecting new life into them as they followed the trace of scent. They went with their eyes glistening in joy. Would they find them?

 They did not but the scent still lingered.

 They eyed the wolf, their coat all black and a reminder of the pups they once birthed long ago in another life.

 But it was not the Aurora. But… it was someone to talk to.

 The dejected Body gave a small, almost imperceptible smile to the youngster, a tiny apology. The Soul flickered their tongue out and spoke what they were thinking. ”Hello… We are sssorry if we disturbed you… We believed you were someone else.” Came the serpent’s whispering voice.

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.. A freak approached. Well firstly Umbra thought they were cool, a snake wrapped around their neck? But the wolf itself look so dejected, almost like a doll of some sort. There was something bothering the young child about it, and if was a cat surely be on her toes with hissing. Instead her fur slicked up in a hostility, backed up with a tail rising, 

For the snake spoke!

Umbra forgot a responds as she was in a midst of a panic induced freak out, on her toes with raised fur.

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 They could see the reaction that they elicited. The girl backed up, fur standing on end. The Body's eyes widened and The Soul attempted to hide themselves in the dark fur on the wolf's head. They too would back away, a whine in their throat. Their tail tucked.

 It was a funny thing, to see the fully grown wolf shying away from the pup but they had no want to stay where they were unwelcome. They also had no want to start a fight by accident, even if it were with someone so much smaller. So, they retreated further into the undergrowth, the snake whispering, "We are sssorry..." And, unless stopped they would disappear into the woodland. Perhaps they should be more careful with meeting new wolves, even if they thought they smelled familiar.

 Oh, how they missed Aurora.

exit unless stopped

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The snow had begun to thaw here, with its residue slipping in between the split of her pads per passage-trot that landed into the thinning out material. The warmth of her feet, fast-tracking it to a solvent paste and reducing her tracking prints left behind. But with Spring upon them, this would make it trickier to keep a close on her wondering orphan with no obvious puppy foot trails. So she used her heightened sense of smell to zig-zag between the trees and find the child up ahead. 

This pattern went on during the course of the day, and whether Umbra was aware of this, Aurora did not find this relevant, so long as she knew where they were. 

Busy sourcing their next steps to venture further north, it wasn't until the familiar faint whisper that captured the balletic ladys' conscious, did those long ears extend and her head followed in pursuit of the voice that she so longed to hear for the last two moons. 

With a swift push of her back legs, she glided toward the pair and The Whisperer at this stage took a turn to leave in the opposite direction. 

She knew just how vulnerable they were, how they were subject to previous bad times, and how her next enthusiastic move could very well frighten them, but this didn't stop the tall woman from sprinting onwards past Umbra and leaping into the air as though a kitten to yarn, and landing on top of them. With excitable yips and whines coming from Aurora, she licked at her friends' coat hopeful they would have smelt her in time to realise she was no foe.

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mild pp. i can edit if you prefer!

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Her ears perked, and nose to the wind.. The smell of Aurora was approaching, and she was turning to find the direction of the now guardian, of Umbra. A distress to her look for the young was awfully confused, and freaked out on the likes of this wolf who carried a snake who spoke ; even at a young age she knew that those were dangerous, and often venomous that was never wise to mess with one.. But they were!

"Aurora, there's a weirdo!" so the young child screamed as the other.. Rushed passed them and embraced the stranger. Awestruck, Umbra looked over to them in a confusion — and a jealousy.

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 They were heading away for they were unwanted, they were mistaken.

 Where would they go now? Far away from here seemed the best option.

 Things would continue to be harsh, things would—

 And then they heard the sounds of pursuit. The Soul hissed in warning, The Body prepared to make a mad dash to get away… but they were not quick. They were weakened by hunger and still their body was not made for fast getaways.

 They were descended upon and yet… there was no pain, there was no fear.

 The scent that enveloped them both was known and it brought joy.

 Aurora!

 They would let out a joyous yip and fall to the ground so that they may turn and wrap their paws around their companion. The snake would hiss, pleased and happy, and try to climb up their friend’s body to lightly curl about their neck as they did to their own Body. Both Body and Soul would try to nuzzle their friend’s head. No words were spoken because what words needed to be said?

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They were tangled into a mess of emotions, with happiness overruling most of all. She was blind to Umbras cries when she swept past them, only to immerse herself in the reuniting of two literal long lost souls.

A giggle burst through her yips, feeling the tickle of the snake encircle her neck, she had never felt them in such an intimate way since they rarely left their host and body. 

Moments passed, and she eventually allowed the natural decline of their exciting storm. She was panting, 'I can not tell you how much I have missed you, my friend. That day we got separated, I headed west in hopes that would be where your scent would lie, but alas the snow must have distinguished it so', sad honest words, yet she did not express any sorrow, since she was still riding the high of her happiness.

She found herself reclined on the floor, and lifted herself up to a seat, glancing over to where Umbra was last. 'In your absence, we have acquired a third party. Her name is Umbra', the swan returned her eyes back to The Whisperer, adding with a hushed voice at a level Umbra could not hear nor see, 'I believe she is an orphan'. 

Turning back to the dark shadow of hers she would entice them over, 'Umbra, will you join us, please?'.

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