Horizon Ridge i do like to be beside the seaside

"Are you ill?"

And just like that, she went from maiden to lepper. "I'm not ill," she assured him, but the damage was already done - she could see suspicion on his eyes. Any tale she might tell him now about the pack's medic being cautious about her far-away origins would be wasted breath. "It's only a ritual."

Something must have happened, because Björn was doing his utmost to convince her that he was not to be trifled with - a fact Bazi didn't doubt, but likewise did not need to be reminded of at every turn. He was cagey, leaping on every opportunity to interrogate her. Was there something off about the landslide? Had it been set off by one of their own? Was it a cover-up for something more sinister? They journeyed through Ridge territory in silence, two wolves with only the colour of their fur in common. It felt like an epoch had passed before rock turned to humus turned to sand. The air turned salty, and Bazi's ears were filled with the pleasant din of the ocean. She looked to Björn for permission, found it granted, and ran straight into the waves.

The Creek wolf spent a good twenty minutes dipping in and out of the water, letting herself be tugged by the currents and burned by the salt. It felt cleansing, and warmer than the ocean she had known. Unlike the creek, whose waters were fresh, the ocean made her nose run and left every sensitive spot of skin feeling raw. If there was any sickness left, it was gone now. Satisfied that Lecter's wishes had been fulfilled, Bazi shook salt and sand from her now porcupine-like fur and returned to Björn on the coast. She fixed him with wide, solemn eyes. "I'll go now," she promised, and motioned with her muzzle at the distant Totoka River. "But I would like to head back via that river. Would you like to escort me?" It was for the warden's benefit more than hers; she had a feeling he wished to keep eyes on her until she was safely beyond his pack's borders.