The medic had left, which Sangilak was disappointed by. A waste of herbs, a waste of time. Thuringwethil had cared, had let her heart feel for the other. So they had lived longer, only to leave. She was sure the leader was most affected by this, but Sangilak feels an anger toward Lucani; the woman should have died, and had survived thanks to mercy. A mercy that Sangilak, herself, would have never been inclined to give. No amount of thanks would make her feel that it was a worthy cause.

Sangilak had been heading westward and saw a familiar face. Her glacial eyes fall upon him and she regards him for a moment in silence. She had been patrolling, as ever; the geysers would keep their silence for the hour before bursting, and Sangilak intended to be away from the sounds of them by then.

Time and again, he notes where Lucani's scent is fading so rapidly away to nothing. Without the healer, matters shift in a subtle way he's never felt it to be as here -- she's been a wolf of this pack since the very start, after all, so it's only to be expected. But he jogs on anyway because there is nothing for him to do to change it, especially not measuring it by the exact extent of the efforts put towards her by the leadership and others. The circumstances that surround it all, even starting at the sudden illness, seem suspicious yet he keeps his nose out of it for now.

It is far more advantageous for someone like him to focus on maintaining their claim, and the defense of their mountain -- especially with tensions rising with the neighbors to the south. Although he does not suspect the Maplewood to be quite so ignorant as to come sniffing blindly around up here, or even bold enough to show their faces in the shadow of their smoldering lands, it spurs a certain sort of satisfaction in knowing that he's ready if they do.

And, as intent as he is on forward momentum, her approach slows him up just a touch so he may grant her a beat of his focus. His nostrils flare and he takes in full sight of her with a small grunt of greeting as his tail flicks upward. She's only becoming more prevalent among the Dragon's ranks by the day, and he's noticed. Her spaces on the boundaries overlapped his often.

He eyes her boldly, but doesn't say anything and keeps his legs moving. He knows she's effective and proud, so he is outright with himself. His head is tall and ears pricked at her questioningly.

Sangilak enjoys testing him, his wit, and his patience. The man before her was one Sangilak liked well. He had earned her respect for his will, but what of his strength? Still, on this day, Sangilak was at ease around him. She does not challenge him, but merely gestures to the path ahead. Surely she would test the man again, but this day Sangilak was content to simply patrol.

So she moves ahead slowly, driven by her desire to mark and to protect and to maul those who might come past the borders. As his legs keep himself moving, Sangilak picks up her pace to move alongside him, her own tail lax between her legs. Her true ambitions had yet to waken, though things changed by the day.