Swiftcurrent Creek roll up your sleeves

Well aware that traveling would soon become impossible—she would soon be too pregnant to walk far and, following that, she would be busy rearing her pups—Pied decided to take advantage of her last few weeks of freedom. Initially, she considered heading to the plateau again to talk to Hawkeye. Something was incredibly off about her mate-ship and Pied knew her sister would bend an ear for her.

But her whimsical feet led her in another direction, carrying her around the ridge and toward the place she called Jawbone Hill. She roamed up and over the slope, through the orchard beyond and began to walk along the foot of the mountains to her right. Eventually, a familiar scent found its way into her nose and, though it didn't engender any particular affection, it stirred something inside of Pied. She tracked it, walking much further than she'd originally intended.

She found herself approaching borders, the scent markings unmistakable. In the distance, she heard burbling water. This must be the creek pack, the dappled she-wolf thought to herself, hanging back from the invisible boundary line. Jinx lives here. Well, duh... It'd been the Kesuk's scent that had led her here.

Pied was chewing over this information when she felt suddenly faint and dropped heavily onto her haunches. Luckily, the dizzy spell passed quickly. Pied blinked and glanced upward just in time to catch sight of a small, reddish figure weaving in her direction. Her gray ears pressed flat and she kept her head in a neutral position as she watched the foxlike wolf come closer.