The Sunspire guard the night, oh keep the spirits strong

her mother had brought new life into the world, another chance. her father seemed as far away as the scars around her neck were faded, and so were the last memories of her siblings. she had been surprised to find, too, that anger faded - perhaps it was that her father was a pathetic, lying man, or perhaps it was that she could summon no caring for the man who had fathered and subsequently tried to kill her. 

she too was done wondering just what had gone so terribly wrong to shatter a family so completely, that had driven her brothers and herself so far away from what she felt sure her mother had imagined for them. wondering did little but antagonize her, and angst did little to benefit her. and so, whether it be through time or the fading of memories, her past became more and more separate from her, at times even seeming as though it belonged to someone else before snapping back into focus when a particularly vivid memory came crawling to the fore of her mind. 

and yet today was not a day for remembering, as she slipped nimbly around an outcrop that cut away at the little trail that had become well worn from her comings and goings. she enjoyed the climb, the predictable aches it left her with, the way it tugged at her endurance. she imagined one day she'd climb the other peaks in the range, head west or north or south - yet now was not the time to forsake her pack for travel. no, for now, she was content on this peak.

It had not escaped her that Terence and Wraen were fighting, and the younger sister was caught in a highly awkward position.  She adored them both, respected them both, and hated to see them at odds... but she also didn't want to risk taking sides.  So much as she saw Wraen, and if she did in fact hang with Terance, she avoided the subject avidly.  Unless one of them spoke to her about it directly, she simply waited, hoping to heck they worked it out.  If not maybe she'd have to take it on herself to do it.

Today she needed to get away... it was beautiful! The sun was up, the weather and temp gorgeous, and she felt a little giddy as a result even with all that drama.  Besides - any day now she was gonna be an aunt! How flipping cool was that?

She was in a familiar little spot, a nice flat stretch, when she saw an unfamiliar wolf walking on a trail that Maia hadn't until now noticed.  The other wolf seemed to know where she was going.... and now Maia was intrigued.  So she got to her paws and followed... not bothering to be stealthy about it, but not immediately catching up either.  Where did this go?

it did not take the svartell long to discover that she was being followed; the familar spark of intuition was accompanied by the soft tap of paws on earth and stone. her step faltered for a moment as she struggled to put name to unfamiliar pelt; surely she'd seen the girl somewhere. yet she could not recall in the slightest what her name might be, or where before she'd seen those markings. 

verdant gaze slid to land on the girl a moment, before she pushed forward a little faster, testing, poking. some of the same energy that had the girl feeling giddy too itched under the star child's pelt, and she was in no mood for dull greetings and first meetings. perhaps she could incite the stranger to a game, a chase; the little plateau she thought of as the finish line was not too far off, anyways.

When the other girl sped up, Maia wondered if she had seen her and she was making her nervous.  Maybe she shouldn't be following like a creeper because, on second look, that's exactly what she was doing now.  Oops.

But then why would she be running slowly faster, and why wouldn't she yell at her to get out of here and stop bein a creep?  

Well, until that time came, maybe it wouldn't hurt to join the fun!  If it was indeed fun.  She sped up as well, this time going faster in an attempt to catch up and close some of the gap.  Better to meet her than stay back oddly.  She wouldn't likely be able to catch up; Maia was large and strong, but she was slow as a result.  So her run was far from the flat out speed her new rival would be able to show off, but she enjoyed it no less, working her legs into a pounding charge that would doubtless tire her out pretty soon.

[font][size=11.6667px]the girl caught on, and the ghost of a grin twisted her muzzle as she moved, adopting a stride that kept her narrowly ahead of the woman, limbs burning as she strove to stay just ahead of her challenger. when her tongue lolled from her maw did she slow, dropping behind the stranger and slowing gradually. she did not speak immediately, breath coming quickly still, but a true grin took hold of her features as she made to close the distance between herself and the nameless packmate. [/size][/font]

Ooooh boy yeah she was feelin it.  Her breath was coming heavy by the time her newfound friend slowed down, and Maia slowed too, trying to compose herself but failin a bit.  

"You're.... fast..... hooo."  The last was part exclamation, part wheeze, and she fell silent for a minute as she gathered her breath up.  She was ok at a lope but sprinting was definitely not her forte.

If the stranger spoke first, that was fine, but if not she'd have enough breath in like two seconds.  Wowee.