Badar wondered if she might be able to make it across the bridge. As she sniffed and investigated its meeting point with the land, she had the distinct impression that the wood was much more stable than it appeared. Up close, one could see the way the branches and bark interlocked and interlaced, with some areas completely dry despite them being flush with the water, the branches locked in such a way to prevent the water from entering areas at all. It was fascinating! She was more than excited to show her father the intricacies of her discovery, though her ulterior motives were clear as day – look! she wanted to say, just look how secure it is despite the noise!

When she turned back towards her father with a smug grin, her eyes found Eira lingering behind. Immediately, Badar lit up, her sudden excitement taking her father‘s attention to Eira as well, though Badar did not wait to hear him speak – and she didn’t give him a chance to move either. In a moment, Badar had pushed off from having had her paws atop the bridge to having tumbled towards Eira. She moved in a tight circle around her sister, all waving tail and dancing paws, before she brushed hard against her shoulder with her own, breathing in the scent of her sister as she buried her muzzle momentarily into the thick fur of her neck. So many scents! She gave Eira a quizzical look, but it quickly became one of curious mischief. Eira smelt like other places, and other wolves – even a boy! The look Badar said it all (and she made sure to give it to Eira without their father’s prying eyes catching it) - they had some things to discuss, didn’t they? But she was just as eager to show her the discovery of the bridge, too.

Throughout her quick and merciless greeting, Badar hadn’t heard the stranger across the river, but her father had turned his attention away from she and Eira – why, she wondered? With furrowed brows and a tilt of her head, she motioned for Eira to follow as she began to trot back towards the bridge. It was then that her father had started calling out to the other, and then that Badar’s eyes roamed across the river and found sight of the smaller wolf. Oh, a Diveen wolf? she observed with mild surprise, mostly at the fact that such a young wolf had approached the bridge so willingly. She exaggerated her excitement so that he might see it more clearly – her tail moved in a wide, sweeping arc as she bounced on her paws. Though she could not bark nor howl, her body spoke for her even at a distance. He’d know he was welcome, or so she hoped. At least, Badar welcomed him.

But would he try to climb across? She looked back to her father and Eira, her eyes darting from them to the bridge before she loped to where she had first been. She placed her paws atop the logs once again, a silent bark as she jerked her head towards the peak of the wood and gave a sheepish grin. Well, why not? It seemed stable, and if the other wolf were to try and cross...shouldn’t they at least meet half way lest they think Glorall wolves as cowards?