It had been a while since I had spoken with Vesta but that did not mean I did not think about the young girl. She was still a pup for all intents and purposes yet I couldn't shake her visage from my mind. She was kind and pretty and quite open about herself. For a moment in time I wondered if I had imprinted on her but I remember being explained what truly happened to imprints and I didn't feel that rendering of soul. Or.. I don't think I did. It was hard to understand what one has lost if one has never gained it. Still, I avoided her for a time so that I could sort through my own conflicting interests but found my large paws carrying me in sweeping patterns in the direction of her den. I guarded the area fiercely, tail lifting when I caught any scent of foreign predator, but usually any predator scents faded quickly. Cougars and bears tended to leave Spirane rather quickly when they realized how dense the population of wolves was.
Today was no exception. I traipsed through brush and over rocky ledges in an unfamiliar pattern, coming in from the west this time. I tried to avoid making the same circuit lest she catch me at my own game. It was almost humiliating the way I tried to stop myself and failed every time. Perhaps it was just because she is kind, I think. I am reminded of my younger sister Samia with her gentleness. Yes, that is what it is.
As I am about to turn, having neared as close as I dared without giving my presence away, I hear it. Faint, but there nonetheless. Sniffles. Crying. Sadness. It taints the air in sound and in scent. My nose flares and I lift my head into the air to scent the area but find no immediate cause. Then my ears press back and I shift on my front feet. I should go - I realize that. But I can't make myself move. Not away, anyways. Instead I find myself edging with slow, deliberate steps towards her den. I am paradoxical in looks, coming forward in curiosity and concern but with my ears back in a way that clearly states how skittish I am in this moment.