It had been over two days since Caiaphas had departed the strand. She had first swung south towards the Bay and in a moment of impulsion she had teetered dangerously on trespassing. She watched from a distance several (presumable) Stavanger Bay wolves bring down what appeared to be a deer in the forest -- and from her vantage she recalled her unsettling conversation with Thistle Cloud. An ugly smile spread across her lips and satisfied, she had left.

She then found herself somewhere -- a somewhere in which she had no name for. Jagged and jutted rock teeth -- ascending slabs -- pontificated pines with their evergreen needles slanted upwards and glinting in the sun. And then Neverwinter Forest with the fog that seemed interminable even when she had already been traveling half the valley in a thick and heavy haze.

She had elected to skirt Neverwinter entirely, so deep and opaque was the fog she was scarcely sure she would be able to find her tail. It was then she thought of visiting Mordecai -- it had been several weeks and for the first time in a long time she felt herself wanting company. Surprised by this sudden compulsion but pleased to indulge in it, Caiaphas struck back towards Neverwinter's southern hemisphere. Or at least, in the fog she thought it was possibly south.

She was not a great sleuther, truth be told -- and it was a long time before she stumbled across his scent. Urged by her good luck she followed it until it joined with several other wolves' -- she paused uncertainly and threw her head back in a howl that at first entertained the idea of being somewhat wolfish before it fell into a warped cry as if the noise itself were disoriented by the fog.

In the murky halflight Caiaphas counted pinecones as she waited, uninterested in pressing further. She recalled that Mordecai had mentioned the Spine was not really the place for a day-trip -- and with all the patience in the world she settled into the fog and watched blankly the fog roll by until she heard footsteps of a wolf approaching.

She would have tensed then were it not evident it was Mordecai -- and while she did not rush to greet him in the manner of acquainted friends she did return his gesture with a wave of her own tail -- and a near genteel expression seemed to mask her dark visage. She noted then, however, that her companion seemed consumed by a pall of weariness -- and with a faint narrowing of her piercing eyes she watched him hawkish and discerning.

"I was in the area -- it occurred to me to visit you." She spoke plainly and from the nakedness in her tone one could tell in this particular instant she was not lying. She remembered with a faint twinge of amusement the shoddy circle she had drawn him and wondered if it was still there untouched by fog or passerby. "How fares the inland?" Her question was not weighted, but it was evident she was willing to converse and share tit-for-tat much more openly than she had been last time.

The pale wraith watched the affable male -- her eyes bright and inquisitive as he spoke. He mentioned the winter and she looked widely around her -- the spire that swallowed half the vale in shadow was immense and she too, wondered how the wolves of the Spine would fare against the bitter onset of cold and frost.

Her gaze returned to his warm agouti countenance -- and once more she was struck by the unremitting amiability in his titian expression. "The coast is cold." She answered fluidly, her narrow muzzle in the direction of the strand. "We have settled in a small channel that faces the sea -- like the Spine it is amassed by natural obstacles and approachable only by the front." She was not sure how much she could delve into the fares of the Sound, but presently there was no superior presiding and she felt she knew enough of Mordecai to know he had no ulterior motive.

"It will be a challenge, this winter. Our cache was already raided by a coyote and there are more nearby." Her expression soured -- she may have been a great deal coyote but she did not affiliate herself with her kin. "What have you been busy with? When the time comes, do you think your alpha would be offended by a new pack in the Wilds?" She was unaware of his recent promotion -- and her expression was plaintive and without guile. She did not have the authority to establish an ally right then and there -- she would have to consult Aktaie first -- but the Spine seemed as promising a friend as any.

A dry smile fringed her black-stormed lips -- she wondered if Mordecai had deliberately placed the pun 'Sounds' charming in reference to their Sound. She swung her head to the side as he continued -- she did not realize he was an alpha. He had certainly never suggested his prestige; neither in posture nor in words. She wondered then if it was a more recent thing, and for a moment her brow furrowed as she inwardly recanted their entire interactions.

But she could not recall once him stating his rank.

"Oh, a promotion? " She ventured with a singular ear canted suggestively -- perhaps the canine equivalent of a hiked eyebrow. She could tell he was taken aback by her question -- she certainly knew only about the Sound, but it seemed the valley was replete with packs and every which way she went she was frustrated by the clear pack borders that marked their presence. "I ask only because packs are everywhere. We are far away, but our presence has an effect on everything."

"Why must you keep everyone settled? Should it not be their place to be settled? Is that not what your kind came to the Spine for?"

Despite the quietude that enveloped them, Caiaphas did not feel uneasy. A sly glance stolen furtively from the corner of her yellow-ringed eyes suggested Mordecai felt much the same.

Perhaps the two of them had much to think about, when they found themselves awake in the late hours. While Mordecai acknowledged that the balance of the world was precarious and outwardly all things seemed affected, Caiaphas had spent a great deal of time ruminating this -- there were so many things in the world in which were inexplicable and irrevocable from their course. A gentle butterfly's pass today, an unruly tornado's path tomorrow.

His question went some time without answer. Caiaphas did not have an answer for it and as she rose to leave her gaze fell across his cheeks solemn and reluctant. "One would hope." The utterance a somewhat dark admittance -- with that, the coywolf rose to make her leave. "I'll see you soon, Mordecai." It was growing late, and Caiaphas had many miles to walk before she dared rest.