The compliment on her stock was accepted and the gray girl gave a pleasant smile. ”Thank you. I try to keep it well stocked just in case. The wolves who live here are always up to something that gives them cuts and bruises. Twice this year we have already been challenged and both my alphas had to fight for us. Thankfully, they have been successful each time.” she spoke with pride when it came to Tick Tock and Tobias. Never one to judge, she simply accepted that they had dark spots in their history and moved on. They were her protectors and she would always be loyal to them.

She listened to the tri-colored wolfess speak and realized that she knew this land almost more than Nakato did. Then she confirmed it; she had lived here at one point. But, why did she leave? Nakato knew nothing about the history of the plains and assumed that Tick Tock had been the only ruler. She never bothered to learn the history of her home. However, it seemed that some wolves had come and gone over the years and this girl was one of them. ”It is refreshing to speak with a wolf who knows the herbs here better than I do. I knew I would like you the moment I saw your aura.”

She winced suddenly and let out a small yelp in surprise. One of her children, bothered by the chill on her back, had kicked for the first time. It was a new sensation and the wolf smiled with tears forming in her eyes. For a moment, she forgot her guest as she gazed down momentarily at her belly. It would not be long until her children would come into this world. They were already becoming her life, her everything. She might not have liked that she allowed winter’s lust to consume her, but she was glad to finally have the chance to give birth. In time, she would deal with the Monster…

Remembering Zeltzin, the druid returned her attention back to the girl and offered an embarrassed smile. ”Forgive me, I got a sudden chill. What were we talking about?” She hoped it wasn’t obvious what she had just done. No one knew about her pregnancy yet and it would be her luck to have an outsider discover her carefully guarded secret.