Things were growing steadily darker on the almost universal horizon that surrounded the mountains, from the moors of Iromar to the south, and she was beginning to suspect from the east in Asteraia as well. Her sister had filled her in on a rather enlightening discussion she held with a large white wolf named Arturio who had held the post of Alpha in Diveen before its most recent shift. Nymeria had informed her of the agreement she made with him to allow wolves to seek refuge in the peaks of Spirane should they need time to heal or simply with to avoid the conflict of the land below. It suited Spirane to be a neutral safe haven of sorts, their sight so often turned inward to their own, and yet she couldn’t help but wonder how long they could truly stay neutral when push came to shove as she suspected it might sooner rather than later. Her sister was far more keen on the thought of war, having brought herself up as the warrior princess, but Kalseru over time at least had become more trepidacious. Was it truly worth risking the wellbeing and even the lives of their pack, the ones that they had sworn to protect?

It was a question that haunted her both day and night, her dreams now plagued will bloodstained mountains and yet she was still at a loss. Not for the first time did she wish she had someone there in that den with her when she awoke startled and disoriented, someone to confide her fears in. Her sister was always there for her, and yet Nymeria had Vortigern for such things which left Kalseru feeling the vague sting of jealousy. Of course she was happy for her sister, but there had always been a feeling of loneliness in the girls life. Be it the abandonment by a father she never knew, the closeness of her brothers to one another which she never quite shared, or being left to rule by herself for a time. Things had changed somewhat for the better now, but a part of her couldn’t help but wonder if she was destined to the same fate as her mother.

All these things weighed heavily on her mind and so she did what she knew best and threw herself into work with the pack. She spent time checking on her nieces and nephew, spending extra time concerning herself with Melee’s recovery and attempting to soothe Rhaegal’s troubled mind, she ensured the hunters were bringing in enough game to start the stores for winter as it approached, had tried to set meetings with their guards and warriors to fill them in on what was brewing within Moladion. She also took a personal watch on the boarder patrols, no doubt with the new agreement they had made with the White Knight they could expect their numbers to grow steadily as things progressed, but they still needed to ensure those coming inside their protected walls did not mean them harm.

So she was in the lower reaches of the mountains when a familiar voice made its way to her and caught her by surprise. So much so that she paused mid stride, her gray face turning over her shoulder to look incredulously at the direction from whence the call had come. She could not deny that often her thoughts would slip to the wandering wolf, son of her mother’s imprint, when she could be allowed a bit of an escape. Wondering what he was doing and what it would be like to just live free on the land with no bonds holding her back. It wasn’t the path for her, but to say she was slightly jealous of Ame would not be a lie.

With no hesitation she had turned and was loping toward where his call had originated, catching a glimpse of him between the pines as she neared and slowed her pace. Of course he was sitting comfortably on the rocks, looking as at home here as she imagined he might anywhere. “Ame.” She called his name in greeting as she approached, her voice a mixture of happiness to see him and curiosity as to what had drawn him to the mountains today. “I’m glad to see you.” That much was true, of all wolves out there who might have information regarding what was happening she would trust no opinion more than his own. “What brings you to Spirane?" While she was glad to see him for personal reasons and had begun to hope he might feel the same, she couldn’t deny that this was a great opportunity to learn more of what was happening outside of her home.