As I moved to stand beside Idunn, my sister fell silent, allowing me and the shewolf who stood before us to conduct whatever business she had brought to our borders. She introduced herself as Raven, and I nonchalantly sniffed the air again, some form of recognition dawning there. This was not the first time Raven had visited Spirane; it had been some time, but I could recall Iromarian scent of a young wolf who had walked among our lands before. It was nice to finally put a face to the trace. Even though her bodice plainly displayed evidence of her youth in years, her body language spoke volumes of her maturity. By my best estimates she and Idunn were around the same age, and yet Raven stood with an altogether different sort of poise – perhaps mingled with some dosing of gravity.

I listened to the news she bore, and did not hesitate to flick my tail back and forth one time in pleasure. I had never made Andras’s acquaintance personally, but I had met Aithne. There had been a regality to the female then, and so it did not surprise me to find out she had risen to power. Silently I wondered what had become of Andras, if perhaps the demise of his mate had crippled him so greatly he’d been forced to step down from power. I thought it best not to press the issue though, and instead keep to the topic at hand.

“Please offer her my congratulations; seeing as such terms were reached between Aithne and myself from the beginning, we will continue to honor them. There are many arrangements already made for the youth of Spirane to travel to our allied packs in the coming year, and Iromar will most certainly be one of them.”

I remained as I was, standing side by side with Idunn, a small smile of pleasure twisting at the edges of my maw. Perhaps this was the dawn of a new age for Iromar and her people. For already Aithne had made a good impression upon me, and now this Raven was following closely in her footsteps. The swamplands might not hold the best of reputations in producing the most genial of wolves, but if they were just like everybody else….well, that would be rather boring, wouldn’t it?