Wapun Meadow The miles are getting longer, it seems.

So caught up in her whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, Paarthurnax remained entirely unaware of another's approach. Given the fragile state that young Bazi had been in during their final goodbye as pack-mates, she couldn't help but wonder if she had begun the healing process of still lingering on her mistakes. Her own heart still tightened as she remembered when last she saw the pale yearling, how they'd held onto each other while they dealt with their heartache in such different ways.

A familiar voice spoke her name, which at once drew the crimson beauty from her pondering. She jerked back to reality and tensed immediately, racking her memories to match that deep baritone to a face. Her first thought was of Viinturuth, her beloved big brother who'd hug her close when she'd been a tiny, fearful thing. She peered over a narrow shoulder, knowing that it could not be possible for her ebony sibling to have ventured so far North, and found herself blinking up at the face of her former Beta.

Paarthurnax pulled herself onto her paws, and turned to face the agouti male. He said nothing more and the silence hung awkwardly between them, rousing uncertainty and a bubble of fear in the pit of the medic's stomach. She looked down at Scimitar's paws, guilt present on her fine features, and she exhaled a breathy sigh. "I'm sorry, Scimitar," she said softly, "but I... Shadow... things happened far too fast."