After departing the mountain, the unlikely pair headed north this time, around the mountain range. When Ollie scaled a cliff on one mountain, she was amazed by the sight before her. A beautiful valley stretched before them, full of flowers and grass, a kalidescope in nature. Excited by the new land, she jumped down, beckoning her silent friend to come with her.
At the valley, Ollie ran towards a patch of land that looked similar to Olor's homeland, yelping in delight. "Ain't this just loike yer 'ome, Olor?" She jumped into the mud, dirting her already messy coat. The ash-furred wolf played in the marsh, jumping into the reeds and watergrass when she heard a hiss.
Turning towards the sound, she was met with a large swan on top of a nest, with three cygnets peeking their heads from underneath her. The female hissed again, puffing up her feathers. Ollie responded by puffing her fur up and baring her fangs. "Wot do we do wif it?" she asked the swan-like wolf.
Olor followed the ash-furred waif at a brisk pace. Not enough to keep side by side with her, but enough to keep her in sight. But, she did dart away once to a cliff, making him snort with annoyance. He followed Ollie to the cliff, only to blink in wonderment when he saw the valley below. It looked so much like home.
He was just as excited as Ollie when they travelled down the mountainside to the lands below. He immediately started running to the wetlands nearby, delighted by the familiar sight. Ollie ran in front of him, crashing into the mud and reeds. He hopped in the damp soil as well, enjoying the lovely squelch the mud made.
The silent wolf was distracted from his nostaliga by a hiss that he recognized. His dark brown eyes locked on the growling Ollie and he walked towards her, glaring at the swan on her nest. He moved Ollie back, knowing that the male would be nearby.
Fireblaze was taking a nice, long walk, when she heard two wolves and a swan. Oh no, she thought. Trouble. She raced over, only to find that the swan and wolves were still growling and hissing. "Stop!" She yelled. Fireblaze ran between the three. "Just leave the bird be!"
Ollie was just about ready to break and run when something came splashing through the waters. A wolf appeared, setting herself between the pair and the swan, telling them to leave the swan be. She bristled indignantly. "Oi, we weren't doin' anythin' ter the bird, it started 'issin' at us, ok?" she said to the wolf defending the swan.
She backed behind Olor, glaring at the wolf suspiciously. "And why would ya defend such a fin', anyway? It's practically food!"
Olor was about to guide the little waif away from the swan and to safety when another wolf came swooping in. The wolf was barking at them to leave the swan alone. Olor would tell her that they did not mean to attack the swan anyway, but he had no voice. Ollie asked the question for him.
The mute did not smell another swan in the area, so he was happy that there was no male to fight. He had respect for these birds and he felt no reason to attack one of them, even if he had done nothing. He loathed the time he killed a male by accident, only to slip away with the guilt that he had killed the protector of his mate's children. It made him feel very upset, and he had no motivation to do that again.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you. I have seen the male nearby, downwind," Fireblaze said. "I don't want wolves to get hurt, for I have from a male swan."
She walked over to them, smelled them, and then said "You are loners? I don't mind loners. "Do you want to hunt before I leave?"