Before the sun had been given to rise, I had moved away from the makeshift den that I called my own. It was still an odd concept, to bury oneself in the ground in such a way as these Moladion wolves did. Coming from a land of never ending sand, to burrow within the ground was not an option for anything larger than a lizard or a fennec fox. My people had been nomads, so it made little sense to create such permanent structures only to leave them behind. We were far more likely to take shelter within an odd formation of rocks or amongst the bramble of long dead bushes. As I padded through the predawn haze of light that only just illuminated the forest, I glanced up at the moon as it slowly descended towards the horizon, losing his nightly battle with the sun for his place in the sky. There was not much within Taviora to remind me of my home, and I thought perhaps it was the reason I had chosen this place before even looking upon much else in Moladion. It was true that when first I had come here I had roamed as far south as the border of Glorall, but I had never gone so far east as Diveen. The first time I had visisted Asteraia in service to my friend Coszcotl I began to wonder if my decision had been made too hastily. Everything about the place – bar the lush grass and the smell of the sea – reminded me of home; even its leader, Iblis.

Without a sense of duty or belonging in Taviora, my mind had oft wandered to thoughts of Asteraia. And thoughts of Asteraia brought up memories of the Great Desert. And from there it was only a blip of memory before Anput and Kebechet’s faces were fresh in my memory – in one form or another. And so this day I would move away from Taviora, and find something to occupy my mind to keep it from wandering in such a direction. As the sun began to peak over the horizon far and away in the east, I began my journey south. I thought to perhaps find solace in simply resting upon the cusp of the valley where first I had met Coszcotl, where I could enjoy the beauty of nature as the sun cast its illuminating glow upon the earth. But I continued on through the snow, relishing the warmth that my jogging stride spread through my muscles. My coat was naturally thin, which had been favorable in the heat of the desert. But here in Moladion it made for cold days and nights in the winter if one did not find a way to warm oneself.

When I came upon the crags I contemplated the possibilities here. As I neared a point where I could begin to ascend through the rocky terrain, I passed a large spiky bush, void of its summer foliage. A small rabbit quivered just behind it, petrified by my approach, but I continued past it without much thought. Hunger was not at the forefront of my mind. It was then that a sharp, cold winter breeze came up my back side, ruffling my fur and reminding me just how cold this land could be. If nothing else, these crags could offer me some shelter from the cold. Small, nimble paws leapt up to the first rocky outcropping and I slowly made my way further into the strange landscape. I wondered what force of the earth could have created such a terrain, thinking she must have been in much turmoil to jut so furiously from beneath her soil skin.

Ebony fringed ears twitched at the distant sound of distress – a soft yelp that echoed off the stony land. For a moment I stood still, trying to discern which direction it had come from. But then another zinging gust of wind had me moving again, but this time hopefully towards this unknown wolf. I would be of no real help to them – slight of stature and not exactly proficient in healing or defense. My strength laid in reason, in finding truth. But I did wish to ensure no one had hurt themselves too gravely, and so I did my best to locate them. It was the bright drops of blood in the snow that put me on the right trail, and as I stepped up onto a large, flat rock I was suddenly looking down upon the ashen form of a female who was licking idly at her paw, clearly the source of the blood. Only when she had noticed me, and I hoped I had not startled her in my sudden appearance, I asked,

“Are you alright?”

My thick Arabic accent wrapped around the words, brows drawing together slightly, concern evident upon my features and in my voice.