The Exiled Prince

She was bathing in one of the chilly streams along the Spine's outer ring when a distant howl snatched her attention. The howling of wolves was always an enticing thing, but Jinx usually listened cautiously before responding. It was important not only to identify the message being sent, but also the recipient, and it had been some time since either of those things had anything to do with her.

She hauled herself out of the water and began to pad down the slope. The spot on her foreleg where she'd been bitten was beginning to heal, though the flesh there seemed to jump and twitch uncontrollably at times. Sometimes, she imagined it was tingling when her flesh shivered around it, but rarely noticed it above the dull pain of the wound.

She arrived at her own pace, being the sort of imperious leader to believe she was the most important thing in the world. Sitri had found a plain white wolf, though for a moment Jinx stared curiously at his eyes without addressing him, intrigued by their colourlessness. At length, she grunted lightly and turned her head to the Delta with a softly spoken, “what's he want?”