With great unease I paced back and forth along the borders of Diveen. She had come again, the female who had suffered defeat at not only Isola’s, but also Kane’s, paws before. Why had she come back? Did she enjoy being beaten? I was not concerned about the outcome of the fight; I held every faith in Isola’s ability to trounce Purge again. But I was her sworn guard, and I was anxious knowing that harm might come to her this day and there was nothing that I could do to prevent it. I desperately needed a way to distract myself on this day, as the fight ensued, and clearly scouting the borders was not going to cut it.

I paused for a moment, a thought occurring to me. If I could not serve Isola in protecting her during the fight, perhaps I could serve her in striving to rise to the rank I had set forth to attain many moons ago. I had taken time away from the endeavor to raise my family, but now I felt a duty to pursue the title of Guardian Angel once more. From such a stead I could guard not only my Queen, but the pack as a whole. Lifting my nose, I called out to my son Berke. The boy held a great interest for healing, an art form which I had never had any skill, despite my ancestry. My mother was one of the greatest healers Moladion had ever known. Perhaps such talents had skipped a generation. In any case, today I would invite my boy to travel with me with Taviora. There he could meet his grandmother and perhaps learn a family secret or two from her.

Once he had joined me, I would greet him happily with a nudge of my nose into his forehead. The boy was growing, though he would never stand as tall as myself. His stature made no difference to me, though. I was proud of him, for he was my son and I loved him. I did not linger long, however, and made my way in the direction of Taviora with haste. Always I made sure that Berke was matching my pace, but my determination to get us to our destination rendered me rather quiet. I hoped that once Moth was with us I would be able to truly find distraction from the fight that ensued behind us.

We arrived upon Taviora’s borders in the afternoon, as the sun began to descend from its zenith. Though Diveen and Taviora were strong allies, and the wolf I sought was my own mother, I still stopped at the borders. Coszcotl and I had met briefly before, in the aftermath of the war against Iromar. To this day I was somewhat wary of him, even though he had clearly proven himself as a worthy alpha of Moladion. Moth was my mother, and it was still strange to me that she had this new family, this new life. I understood how imprinting effected wolves, but it still made me uncomfortable. Once more I lifted my nose to the heavens, this time calling out for Moth, requesting she come to greet us or give us pardon to enter the woodlands and seek her out.

Lowering my head, I turned my gaze upon Berke. I smiled at my son. “Today you shall meet your grandmother. Moth is one of the most famed healers in all of Moladion’s history. Years ago she was the master healer of Diveen, but times have changed and now she is Taviora’s shaman, and Meryl has taken up her role in Diveen.” The anxiety of Isola’s safety began to mingle with the nerves of seeing my mother. It had been years, and I missed her dearly. I only hoped she was happy with her life here, and that she would forgive me for taking so long to come visit.