Heron Lake Plateau they rush to tell, they rush to say

The puppies seemed to be thriving, much to the new mother's enormous relief. The first weeks after birth were the riskiest for newborns, but so far they all seemed to be doing well enough. Little Kite was the one she was most concerned about. The girl was still so frail and weak, and seemed to have quite a bit of difficulty remaining upright and moving about. She would never forgive Screech for this, nor for the two puppies who had come into the world as cold and still as bottomless lakes in winter. A sense of bitterness filled her as she walked, enjoying the sun on her back and the ability to move without pain and discomfort now that her pregnancy was over.

She had asked @Eljay to keep watch over the sleeping puppies for a bit so that she could go out and stretch her legs and get something to eat. She wasn't far from the borders when she heard the call -- a voice she didn't recognize. She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should answer it or if she should wait for Quixote. She had a lot to lose now, and if anything happened to her now, it could spell death for the children who depended on her. But she was also an alpha, and couldn't spend her days quivering in fear behind the wall of her fortress. So she made her way toward the voice, and when she found it, she was dismayed to find not one, but two strangers awaiting her. Warily, she stopped some distance away and narrowed her eyes suspiciously and called to them, "You rang...?"