Phoenix Maplewood storm surge

Saena's patrolling was endless. The petite female didn't like it, never really had, but it was a necessity that she be a competent warden and she wasn't about to let that responsibility flag, especially now that they had a new territory to protect. No one had been foolish enough to test their claim yet, but she couldn't help remembering what Nochtli said about Meldresi—that the woman had called their claim "unofficial", as if that was a thing—and she shuddered to think what idiotic creature could stumble into their midst, claiming things as unofficial.

Maybe it would be the dark witch herself. Maybe Saena could subdue her, bring her back to Nova Peak as an offering of friendship. Or maybe she wouldn't show up, maybe the wolves of the maplewood would have a break in their bad luck for once.

She was just hiking a leg to dominantly mark another fern on the ground when she spotted Reek through the trees, accompanied by the scent of smoke on the air. They must've gone opposite directions and were meeting up here. The smoke she chalked up to her mate; all of them still smelled charred from the fire. That would cling to them for weeks. With a lazy grin the alpha female began picking her way through the trees toward her mate, but when he called out to someone that wasn't her, she faltered.

A swivel of her head was all it took to spot a burly brown-white figure through the gaps in the trees. Curious, Saena padded out into the open and was met with not just Scimitar, but his pups, his mate, his sister... the whole Nova Peak pack, all smelling kind of smoky themselves, which she figured was from the fire at the Rise as well. Her brows pinched. Was this an invasion? She didn't like the implication of an entire pack showing up on her borders, but before she got confrontational about it, Saena intended to hear them out. It could be very different than she imagined.