Kove often patrolled the borders periodically throughout the day, venturing along each stretch of land so that he might ensure the safety of his home. At this particular moment in time, however, the Inuit was not at his usual post. He’d driven himself towards the heart of the territory, looking from one cluster of shadows to the next, when his attention was pulled elsewhere; a howl reached out to him, drawing him towards it.

When he arrived, his posture was that of a dominant creature, the wear of time on his body untraceable. He looked from the other northerner to the female that followed him and asked, “Who are you?” He did not address the male but the wolf that he’d brought with him, the former’s presence there with her offering neither a positive nor negative influence.