Time passed with the seasons, and each day slipped away without the reappearance of Gul. I felt at once relieved that he had not returned to Glorall since I had shown him the place I called my home, and also frustrated. Where had had gone? Why had had vanished as quickly as he had appeared in my life? Perhaps he truly was only the ghoul he had told me he was. A ghost who would haunt my dreams, never walking alongside me again. My imprint was such an enigma to me, impossible to understand though there was nothing I had wanted to learn more about in my life. But without him near, such a thing was not within the realm of possibility. He'd not come for me, and he'd not come for Glorall. I was not a traitor to my alpha, to my pack. With that knowledge firmly recited each day in my waking mind, I had begun to seek some normalcy in my life once more.

Having made my desires to serve the pack known to Eden, he'd assigned me a task to show my capabilities. My goal was to become Glorall's Arbiter, the judge for the pack. It was not so much a desire to pass judgment against others that attracted me to the rank, but rather the responsibility of helping others find their place within the pack. From a young age I'd always been inquisitive by nature, and perhaps my more intuitive side could be put to good use in such a roll. And if nothing else, completing the task set forth to me would show not only Eden but also myself what I was capable of within his hierarchy.

Eden had asked me to seek out a foreign girl who had been lurking around the pack of late. Her scent had been easy enough to pick up, and I'd first followed some of her older tracks to learn how far into the pack she'd roamed rather than seeking her out directly. One scent trail led as far into the pack lands as to reach the very beach itself, the stale scent mingling with one of this year's pups. Violet eyes flashed around the weeks old scene, trying to ascertain if she'd meant the child any harm, but it was hard to distinguish anything at this point. The passage of other wolves and the movement of the sands in the wind covered up everything other than their lingering scents.

After that, I returned to the borders and began searching for a more fresh scent trail. It didn't take me overly long, but it was midafternoon before I was set out on a firm course to track her down. Once more, her trail led within the pack lands. Well, apparently she liked it here well enough, in any case. But why linger within a pack lands without ever seeking the alpha's approval? Whether her intentions were nefarious or innocent would be discovered today. Closing in on her, I slowed and remained alert. Before actually coming upon her, I called out, inviting her to come forward and meet with me rather than continuing to stalk her like a cat and mouse.