She was so tired, the day had been exhausting wandering the free lands in search of her next teacher, but at least she found one. Mana was an interesting if not blunt wolfess. Zelda could tell her time spent with her would not be good times, but if it was what it would take to protect Taviora she would. She had collapsed in her den the moment she got home, heaving a huge sigh and curling up on and under the pelts scattered about. Here she could hide, relax and just try to thing of nothing but the rocky ceiling, the smell of home, the smell of him that still clung to some of the pelts. She sighed again, it had almost already been a year since he’d left. She knew he said he would be gone a while, but how long was that. He had no time frame for his return only said it was far. She guessed if he was going to the land of the Angels he would stay longer than just a few seasons. Still part of her worried that maybe he just never would.

There she went again, moping. Her home, her pack, didn’t need her worrying about someone who wasn’t even in Moladion anymore. Challengers, threats, bears and certainly psycho tyrants didn’t care how she felt. She needed to put it all aside at least for now. Little did Zelda know she wasn’t going to be getting sleep just yet. Her eyes had gently closed a sigh escaping her maw when she heard her name barely breathed over the early winter breeze. Her head lifted up, flopped a pelt off from over top of her as she heard Astraea take a few steps inside. If it were anyone else she might have curled up and asked if they could come back later, but it was Astraea, her best friend and surely she had come for good reason.

”Yeah! Yeah Raea come in.” It was cold out there after all, the chilling night of winter. She remembered fondly of the time they had snuck out together, looked at the stars and she had learned a lot about her gangly friend then. It set the paveway for many years of friendship. She never minded visits from her regardless of time, and thanks to Hyrule, her grandfather, and several other of her family members’ heigh her den was an accommodating size for her very tall friend.

Zelda sat up, her face tired, but concerned. She wasn’t sure what to expect, a night call like this she wondered if something serious had happened. Zelda had thought maybe she caught the slightest scent of blood touching her dear friend and her body felt tense and coiled like a spring ready to explode. Whatever had happened Zelda would listen to it and she would believe Raea above anyone else.

”What’s going on? Did something happen?” Zelda asked soon as she caught sight of her friend’s eyes coming down into the depths of her den. Behind Zelda dug into the wall were quail feathers and a buffalos horn that the past Alpha of Asteraia had offered her and Hyrule when she came to visit and ‘gave’ them Jinx. She wondered how the girl was fairing in Asteraia now.. Well she hoped. But right now Zelda needed to think about this friend and not one one across Moladion. Her den had plenty of room and she wondered just what she could do for the starborn wolfess.