I take the time for myself to explore this land after greeting Tithe, the mountain king, and procuring a home. Leaving the Spirane territory I spy a densely packed wooded area not far from where the boundary lay, and I set my sienna paws in that direction.

Dark chocolate hackles bristle upon entering the wood, and my muscles turn rigid enough to stop my haughty trot. Blood - faint, fresh, stale - my nose was hardwired to know this scent. I smelled the wolves who frequented the area, their urine, feces, the old tracks and new. My eyes picked up the stirred leaves on the ground and I heard the rustling of branches in the wind, the trails in the scant snow. Closing my eyes I try and focus in on the freshest trail, finding one, I follow it.

When I see the creek, I forget all notion of searching out company, dashing headlong for the bank and taking long, furious laps of the water to slake my thirst. I hadn't realized it had been so bad, but I had not had any drink in about four days. Too anxious to get where I was going to stop anywhere for a drink. It isn't until I am done with the water that I see a rather rough looking female a few yards down stream. Keeping my distance, I covertly study the dark wolf. Every wolf here seemed so dark in their plumage, myself included I suppose. Scars littered her frame, some more apparent than others, from my experience this meant she was either the namby-pamby type or she was a wolf who faced multiple misfortunes and simply lived through life. Either way, the black wolf raised interest and so I closed some of the distance between us.

I scented two other wolves that were strong in her scent, the ones she slept with and spent the most time with. I smelled a pack and scents that alphas used to mark on her, meaning she was an alpha female. The pack was a large one, judging by the many mingling scents woven into her pelt - meaning she was involved and well-liked by her followers. Some scars were fresher than others, meaning recent battles had been fought and she was a survivor. "Did you win all of these battles, or are some from losses?" I ask in a polite tone, I couldn't tell which were wins aside from the obvious ones. "I don't mean the mountain lion attack, obviously you lived through that so the cat is dead, I mean your copious other scars. You're like a walking tally rock." The second is delivered with a hint of spice, but only meant to show her I am not a complete dunce to be asking. I simply had to know.