bloodstream

He sensed a disturbance ahead and Wicked's entire body stiffened and dropped. He prowled forth slowly, ears drawn backward, eyes moving rapidly back and forth and nose wriggling. He came around a bend in the rockery and his coal eyes fixed on a black she-wolf just this side of the borders, grappling with a sapling thrust up between some of the boulders forming the spire's base. He froze, studying her, his nostrils flaring. She smelled like she belonged here. This was one of his new pack mates.

His ears pushed forward and he lifted himself slightly, his white tail hanging limp behind his legs to show he knew his place in the scheme of things. He contemplated sneaking up behind her and giving her a fright, yet it was too early for such games. Instead, Wicked announced his presence with a low woof.