There was a way of doing things that Alvina particularly liked. Sentinels, primarily Werebeasts in unassuming forms, would keep watch over the farthest reaches of the territory. In the event of a discovery, they would send telepathic alarms back, until the cascade of voices would eventually summon her to assess a traveler. Were they attacked, they were to fall back until assistance could be provided… Until their attacker could be dealt with. On that day, however, neither of these events was the case, for it was Alvina herself that crossed the new scent while she was out hunting.

Ordering the rest of the hunting party to disperse as she followed the trail, the blood-eyed Alpha took a leisurely place as she set on the scent trail. The odor of the newcomer was entirely fresh, and not in the least attempting to disguise itself as it lead through the overly large, intensely green ferns of the forest floor. Her pads carried her dark form silently, her claws not needing to break the forest floor to seize purchase. She was assured, familiar, and comfortable in the territory that she had long called home. Even as the slope gradually began swelling upward toward the brilliant blue of the sky, she kept her pace. The event which finally caused her, and the others nearby in the brush to pause, was the curious voice that leapt out at their thoughts only a few minutes later.

Of course, the jaguar and the other wolf nearby knew Alvina would give an order if she needed. Both, however, dispersed outward, intending to converge on the source of the voice as their Alpha herself set to seeking it out, drawing closer. Though his scent was stronger, the black she-wolf had not set her eyes upon him when she let out her own mental call. Her voice, the telepathic one, was gruff, level, and powerful as her verbal one. “Welcome to my territory, traveler. I am Alvina. What brought you to this place?”

She could practically sense the inquisitive tipping of his ears as he tried to determine which direction she might've approached from. "Why are you curious? That feeling seems to have taken you quite a reach if you've ventured this far out." Perhaps his intention was to seek refuge in the pack? That seemed the likeliest, if he avoided saying so right away. It was rare for Werebeasts to stumble straight away into her territory if that wasn't the case.

Any searching he was doing for her was only to be expected, judging by his wolfish scent. She herself would've done exactly the same in his position. That said, she only had the knowledge that she was following his trail and that his smell was growing stronger against her dark, wet nose. Slowing her pace, she briefly paused to listen. Against the sounds of the forest, the soft tweeting of birds, and an expansive silence, she didn't detect sounds of movement nearby. Guessing he likely had paused in his course, she diverted from his path to circle around toward where she guessed he'd likely stopped. Her dark coat would likely camouflage her, as the pads of her paws dampened any sounds of her movements in the familiar territory. The first indicator of her presence would likely be the crimson orbs of her eyes... which proved the case as she finally spied his gray coat amongst the brush, scattered as it was with a small twinge of sunlight. "To your right. What is your name?"

No signs of aggression came from her yet, no twitching of her lips to expose ivory teeth. Only her ears pricked forward, alert, and her eyes commanding his attention.

She regarded him with interest, noticing right away how he didn’t seem to overtly bow, and seeing plainly how his tail twitched with irritation. Both were indicators of a personality, or inexperience with pack order. Neither caused her immediate concern such that she considered him to be a threat. He merely seemed to have a spine at the least. “If you’re looking for that sort of solitude, this is perhaps on of the best places to find it. Though certainly not the only one.” The acknowledgement that he had sought out the place was there again. The curiosity, or his claim to it, was not something that had slipped by her.

And his eyes. He studied her, almost in the thoughtful way of calculation. Lowering her rear such that she sat on her haunches, she regarded him with a small nod as he answered at least one of her questions. “Welcome.” She repeated her short word of introduction from before. “So, what do you think of this place so far from the eyes of those against our kind?”