The mountain was always the last place in Moladion to lose its snow during the transition from winter to spring. Last year, near the end of spring, I had ventured to Spirane’s highest peak and found that the white powder still clung there. This was the second time I had gone through this transition from winter to spring, and I found myself quickly becoming accustomed to it. I did not mind the snow, and had learned how to traverse it with ease. Godric had shown me how to plow through the softer stuff, and how to lightly run across the top of the harder stuff without breaking through. Of course now, with the melts well under way, everything was soft and wet. Coming into my second year my legs were continuing to grow longer with what seemed every day. And trudging through the deepest snows in Moladion had given strength to my limbs.

This winter had been a most interesting season. I had learned so much. Father had taught me about the gypsies who sought shelter within our borders during these harshest of months. Brother had shown me a few of the moves he was learning through his training to become Hercules. Uncle Godric accompanied me on my first ever acceptance of a new member. And then there had been my trip to Diveen, just before the first snows had fallen. Aunt Calista and I had gone under the pretense of learning the art of healing from Moth. But upon our arrival Calista had gone off to find Moth and I had remained behind only to come face to face with a boy named Meryl. All winter I had tried very hard to forget about him, to push him from my mind and concentrate on the lessons my family strived to teach me. Still, though, I found myself thinking about him each night when I laid down in my den to sleep. I had not confided my suspicions with anyone, not even my dear sister Ceal. Instead, I had decided that come spring I would return to Diveen and I would confront Meryl and I would find out if we had, in fact, imprinted. It was the only logical explanation, and yet I still denied it to myself, for whatever reason.

I was sliding down a snow melt when the calls came. I hopped off the slippery incline and stood with my eyes and ears pointing to the east, where the howls came from. The voices were not calling for my father, though. Instead, they called for me. For my cousins. For the youth of Spirane. My brow furrowed, curious what this was all about and who might be prompting a gathering of the adolescent population of the mountain. Leaving little else to thought, I swiftly made my way across and down the mountain, to the point where our boundaries were set. With ease I broke through the remaining snow, avoiding spots where I knew there to be deceptive drifts that would cause me to become buried to my shoulder.

My tail curled proudly over my back as I made my way towards the two who had called upon me and my peers. I loped effortlessly through the remaining snow, eyeing the pair as I approached. A gray boy stood further ahead of another who was marked by red on white. I knew this to be the signage of Diveen, but there were those who bore such markings with no affiliation to the Angel’s family. Slowing my gait to a jog, I moved towards them. Perhaps I should have sought out Ramiel or Taliesin to join me, but I was not afraid of these boys. It was obvious that they were younger than me, though that made little difference at our respective ages. Although I stood a good seven inches taller than them both, there were still two of them and only one of me. But this was my home, and they had enough respect to wait upon the borders instead of simply barging in. Surely they were respectable.

“Greetings, I am Daenerys, of the mountain Spirane,” I said in simple introduction. When I stood but a few feet from them, on my side of the boundary, I stopped. Dark mahogany eyes flitted between the two boys, while both ears pressed forward attentively. Scenting the air, it was clear that they were, in fact, boys of Diveen. I knew the smell of the badlands pack well – it was ingrained in my memory as it weaved so deeply in Meryl’s own scent. “Is there something with which I may help you?” Of course I was unsure of why they had come, but I was happy to receive them. If it had been official pack business, surely an adult would have accompanied them and they would have called upon both my father and me. I found myself quite interested in the pair that stood before me. My tail wagged slightly over my back, and my shadowed toes rolled softly in the melting snow. One ear flicked backwards, listening to see if others would join me in greeting our visitors, then tipped forward once more to focus on the boys.