It was an odd group, to be sure - a couple of Mightyena and a Poochyena on their own wasn't out there, but the presence of a rather distinctive shiny Manectric and shiny Midnight Lycanroc threw a wrench in just how ordinary the group was.

The Manectric - Duchess - perked up as a familiar voice called to the group. Her tail wagged at the sight of Koji, and she'd bark to him before leading the group off. This way, friend! This way!

The Lycanroc - Ebon - glances back every so often as the group moves. Though he is not as familiar with Koji, he trusts in the rest of the pack's intuition here, and makes occasional stops to ensure that Koji can keep up.

Up a well-traveled path, one patterned with pawprints layered upon pawprints of varying sizes, and the rare hoofprints and shoeprints. Along a cliffside, where a small group of Honchkrow and Corviknights roost on the ridges above - watching...

... All to a large clearing in front of a den, one nestled into a nook in the cliffside, the entrance of said den covered by a heavy fur curtain to keep out the elements. In this clearing, more of the pack is present, canids of every shape and size just about. Some familiar, some not.

But most notable among the familiar, is a young girl. Pale skin, pale hair, bright red eyes - giggling and laughing with glee as she playwrestles with a Smeargle. Occasionally, her teeth snap at the air like a playing dog's would, and she yips and barks amidst her laughter; echoing the Smeargle's own joyful sounds.

However, it doesn't take long for her to realize they have a visitor. Ettie blinks, as she notices Koji out of the corner of her eye - and disengaging from her playbuddy, she rolls over into a seated criss-cross position. "Oh, hello!" Ettie chirps, clearly happy to see a familiar sight. "Friend! How-is?"

It'd been awhile, but Ettie still recognized Koji; and any friend was welcome here.

Ettie giggles softly, nodding understandingly. Yeah, the trek through their territory was tough sometimes, especially for people not used to hiking. "Sit! Rest! Safe with pack." She directs Koji, gesturing to invite him to sit with her. He could just take it easy, here - he was a welcome visitor!

As far as how she's been, though... Truth was that there's been a lot that'd gone on, since the two last met. Though, a good bit of it were things that Ettie was not the most comfortable disclosing. Instead, she'd simply smile, mentioning "Good! New packmates! Lots prey 'n lots berries in territory!" It was the time of year where food was becoming plentiful, a prime time for her to replenish the preserved food stocks.

As the two spoke though, there were those who were plenty happy to see Koji. A trio of Yamper would run up, tails a-wagging; two were particularly enthusiastic, one of them even attempting to climb up into his lap! A familiar Lucario - Anat - would also come to sit with the two humans, giving him a smile and nod in greeting.

Ettie giggles at this, and smiles to Koji. "How Koji-pack?" She asks; wondering about his own pokemon.

Lack of berries was not a problem for the cuddly Yamper, who was simply happy to have close contact with a friend. She melted into the touches, her tiny tail a-wagging with simple joy.

However, one of the Yampers seemed to be in a more exciteable mood - gently nipping, and trying to pull at Koji's sleeve to invite him to play!

Ettie, noting this, would be happy to play interference. "Friend tired, let rest." She gently chided with a giggle, reaching out to scritch one of the Yampers - before suggesting "Play with brother?"

Which did the trick - the playful Yamper would turn towards the calmer one, play-bowing to him instead. The calmer Yamper would accept the invitation, their attentions redirected to one another as they played together.

Which allowed for Ettie and Koji to continue speaking to one another; and as he mentioned new packmates, the wildchild's eyes lit up. "Yes! Wanna see! New friends good!" She chirped, wiggling in place eagerly, body language that was similar to how a dog with a too-short tail might wiggle. "Who is?"