Willows

He was utterly walking on the clouds. After his trip with Aurielle, Caelia and Domari, and his promotion, he’d chosen to explore, rather than returning home with them directly. Maybe he’d bump into Ulric, or even the mysterious Philomena... or maybe even more family.

He’d skirted the volcano’s base, though he’d stopped and stared up at the blackened, ominous mountain for a long moment, staggered by the utter lack of vitality in the place. He had his doubts that the packs staying to the south of the behemoth were safe in the slightest. It could erupt again tomorrow, or in a hundred generations from now. He didn’t trust it.

How many had died here, and in the surrounding lands?

Now, though, he was padding through a grove of weeping willows south of the hot springs he’d encountered the arrogant Skyfire at. Aurielle had filled him in on her own encounter with the girl, and he gave a soft snort of amusement. His Spirit knew exactly how to put a wolf in their right mind with just a look or a comment or an intense query.

He could only hope she’d truly learned from the encounter with his alpha. A rustle in the trees ahead brought him down into a hunting crouch. He was a Steadfast Seeker now. He still had a hell of a lot to learn about hunting, but maybe this rustling was something to bring home. Quietly, he lowered his nose and slipped forward, tracking carefully, then frowned in disappointment as it turned out to be another wolf, and not a prey animal to catch and haul home.

He straightened, considering whether to head on to the Mangrove and see if his cousin(s) had wandered back that way.

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think