Winter was, perhaps, the most dangerous season for those who lived upon the mountain. Frequented trails could become slick with ice when the temperatures rose and then suddenly dropped, freezing the half melted substance. Treacherous rocks became invisible, hidden beneath a thick blanket of white. Not to mention the impending danger of an avalanche at any moment. Truth be told I had not seen a major snow slide since my very first winter, when a raging torrent of snow had descended down the slopes of the highest peaks and buried our cache of meat for the winter. I smiled fondly at the memory as I gazed up at the seemingly harmless snow that coated the peaks of the mountain. I remembered Butterfly digging away at the snow, Swallowbane, Taliesin and Ceal had all been there too. And my parents, both of my parents. MoonGlow had returned from one of her ventures beyond Moladion’s borders. My littlest star, she had called me. My heart warmed at the thought as I lifted my eyes from the compacted snow to the sliver of moon that was still visible during the day, knowing that my parents were at rest in the great beyond, never to be separated again.

It was the resounding call that snapped my attention back to the snow that was settled on high, the notion of an avalanche still fresh in my mind, and my mahogany eyes remained focused upon the snow until I was sure it would stay precisely where it was for at least another day. I then turned and set off down the sloping trails towards the foothills, refraining from answering his call if only because I did not want to push my luck with winter’s bane. The steepness of the trails tapered off as I descended into the rolling landscape that fringed my home land. Here the trees were sparser, even the snow clung to the earth differently. I glided across the crusted powder, leaving a trail of prints in my wake, my weight penetrating the surface only enough to do so. The form of a stranger stood out blatantly against the white backdrop of winter, his russet marked ebon pelt not made for camouflage in these months.

At this closer range I chuffed a greeting out to him, jogging across the distance. While he held a most neutral position, my tail lifted automatically, though not so far as to arch over my back. Rather it was simply stiff, angled slightly above the line of my back, but still waving slightly. I caught his scent as I closed the gap between us, and noticed a few familiar scents mingling together. The sea salt of Glorall was most predominant, along with that smell of a young wolf who had spent some time here in Spirane – my niece. But vaguely beneath it all was the cloistered scent of the northern plains of Asteraia. It was a curious mingling of scents. The downfall of Tesseract had effectively abjured Spirane’s standing of holding alliances with every pack in Moladion, followed quickly by Rhae’s defeat. After the upheaval many wolves from the plains pack had come to seek refuge and a new home within the mountains, but very few of the seaside pack had done the same. It left me to wonder about their new leader, though I had yet to send forth an emissary to meet with him. It would seem that I needed to train more of my wolves in such diplomatic endeavors. Today, however, I had clearly been beaten to the punch as a wolf of Glorall stood waiting for me upon my borders.

“Hello,” I said as I stopped, standing before him and seeking to meet his gaze. When I did manage to catch a glimpse into his eyes, I noted the cloudiness of his pupils and the slightly unfocused offset there, realizing he was more than likely blind. “I am Daenerys Mountainborn, Queen of Spirane and Protector of the Realm. What business does the new regime of Glorall bring to its former ally’s border?” The defeat of my comrade did not mean that future relationships between our packs were impossible, it only made me wish that I knew where Tesseract was. I wanted to know that he was alright, that his wounds had not done more than displace him from his former throne. The state of a defeated opponent could say much about the winner in a battle.