Lost Creek Hollow i'm floating down a river / oars freed from their holes long ago

He didn't quite know who or what he followed, but Tad hoped he wouldn't regret what he found at the end of the trail. It zigzagged through the trees and open space, beside a river, only to loop back to send him threading in a different direction entirely. He grunted and pinched his brow, but didn't stop tracking. The circuit proved more than enough to keep him engaged - until he felt the familiar press of eyes against his skull, and he swung around with a quick and bristling whirl.

The wolf he saw bore no resemblance to any of his family, but he narrowed his molten eyes. He didn't fail to notice the shock of fur that formed a sort of stripe down the length of her spine, and he jumped to the only conclusion he knew. "Why are you following me?" he took a gutsy step toward her, his voice clipped and on edge. "Are you a Blackthorn? Did they send you?"