After making sure that her parents had everything they needed in terms of food and coming up with creative excuses of, why she could not stay with the kids today, Dwin had hastily left the caldera. It did not happen often that anyone stopped in her tracks and made her change her plans, but putting as much distance between her and her family felt important. She could safely claim of not hearing a summoning howl because of being too far away. 

Dwin felt conflicted and trapped. Ever since Bronco had been mauled by the big cat, the weight of taking care of the kids rested on four adult wolves. Her, mom, Teya and Amalia. Eljay did his best to help, of course, but old age was catching up with him and, when it came to hunting anything bigger and faster than a mouse, it was obvious that he would not be able to keep up. It would be unfair to make him do so. 

Here lied the problem - with kids outnumbering the adults, she could not afford to leave Brecheliant behind despite, what her heart yearned to do. It was not so much out of affection to the younger generation, rather it was loyalty to the adults and the promise of guilty conscience, if she decided to go without taking them in account. After all they had invested a great deal of time and effort and resources in raising her. It must not have been easy and the least she could do was to stay at least until spring to repay that debt. 

Even with this reasoning, life did not feel more joyous or happier and, while she kept a bright and brave facade inside Brecheliant, her spirit felt free only, when she left home behind. It was always a game really, how far she could go in one take, before the instinct began to pull her back. It differed really and today she had walked almost to the edge of the mountain range. There by the river she stopped for a drink and caught sight of another person lying on the ground.

Curious and concerned for his or hers well-being, Dwin drew closer carefully and announced her presence with a quiet woof. 

Dwin had not really prepared herself to, what she had expected from the stranger. Either dead or asleep, but him getting up to his feet right after her first call, startled her and made her jump. Glad that no one else was there to witness her embarrassement (she felt that way), she shook her head and conjured a cheerful expression for Etienne - as the man had introduced himself.

"Well here goes my chance at easy breakfast," she told him, smiling so as if giving an impression that he was the best edible thing she had come upon this morning. "Are you well?" she asked next, if the young man had not run for the hills by then. 

"Devil eats flies, when he is starving," Dwin shrugged in response and sat down to listen, what the other had to say. The mention of a big cat picked her interest, because just a month ago a big cat had attacked two puppies, one of which was her younger sibling Frolic. And Bronco - the hero of the day - had got seriously injured in the process. Hadn't that cat been killed? Or seriously injured?

She felt quite confident - maybe foolishly so - that she would not meet the same fate as Frolic, because she had been around in the world longer and was larger and quicker. "Was that cat big and striped?" Dwin asked. "'cause one such beast attacked us recently."

Dwin was not sure on, how to properly answer about "loved ones" part. She was sorry and upset for, what had happened to Bronco. And she felt annoyed with Frolic and Seal, who in her opinion had caused a great deal of trouble that could have been avoided, and now probably hadn't learned anything from the experience. That would later prove too.

"Almost," she replied, not wishing to give away the fact that one of their strongest packmates had been reduced to a rag that could barely move on his own. "Is yours good?" she asked. "My dad's a healer. He could look at him, if you needed it. Though it is quite a way away from here," she told. Unless that person of Etienne's was the size of a one month puppy, it would be bane of anyone's existance to drag the injured one to caldera. It would probably cause more harm than good anyway. 

"Ooooh," Dwin cast a quick glance around and took an inadvertent step back. She recalled quite well, how she had reacted, when she had found Dee injured in the presence of a stranger, and had no wish of meeting the equivalent of her running somewhere out of the bushes and going straight for her throat. On that note... she had to reconsider a few things. 

"And you? Did you get hurt?" she asked, looking him up and down, though he appeared to look well. 

"Okay, that's good," Dwin nodded her head, but still did not feel 100% convinced. At this point their conversation had basically ran out. You did not proceed with small-talk and nonsenses, when you know that someone's friend's life is hanging on the edge. Therefore she stood there for a couple of uncomfortable minutes of silence, shifted from one foot to the other and then having nothing better to ask, said: "Do you need help with anything?" And hoped that either he declined and she would be free to go or he would give her something useful to do with her time. Silence would be even more awkward. 

"Okay, take care!" Dwin said, glad that she had been excused. She was about to add a joke along the lines of "do not get eaten by a big cat yourself", but bit back. That would be insensitive. Instead she remembered that he had given her his name and she had not given hers (by now her readers must know that she is pretty good at forgetting to give her name). "Name's Dwin and I am from Brecheliant, over there. Stop by, if you ever in the area," she told, beckoning in the general direction of her home.