Silvertip Mountain Children running from their school

Up until now, Jinx had been making her plans in private from the depths of Swiftcurrent's plain. She had attracted to her a small handful of wolves seeking solid leadership by expressing a confidence in her abilities that was only matched by her passion. The Kesuk, who would turn three tomorrow, had busied herself so much that she had little time for introspection or doubt. Even the guilt that so acutely plagued her since first expressing a desire to seek a home elsewhere had begun to ebb away, leaving her refreshed and with new-found purpose. In restlessness, Jinx chose to set out on her first scouting mission to her upcoming home, uncaring what her current pack thought of her outing.

On the second day of her travels, she reached the Wilderness. The sun burned weakly behind a hazy layer of grey, but the wind was calm and the temperature mild. Spring was well under way, and already she had begun to shed her winter layer of fur in great chunks. This lent the female a strangely patchy appearance where tufts of hair had pulled out of her flanks and nape, but every wolf in the region was facing the same problem. Self-consciousness was out of the question. It was, however, hotter than she would have liked with the extra fur, so her pace was moderate without causing discomfort. As she stomped past the plateau across the way, sparing them only one glance in passing, the half-snow, half-mud ground sloshed underfoot.

Her eyes were locked firmly on Silvertip Mountain, which she approached and began to ascend without pause. She carried herself confidently, though her feet were unaccustomed to the way the ground climbed beneath them. Half an hour found her nearing a point where she could look out and see the forest topping Blacktail Deer Plateau across the valley from above. Stopping here to survey her chosen territory, the female lifted her head proudly to scent the breeze and relish the moment.