Morningside Cuesta Curiosity doesn't always kill the wolf

Alert and afraid, Vespa listened to the howl pierce the tense atmosphere surrounding her cowering frame. It seemed welcoming enough but the young she-wolf wasn't fooled. She was weak and still not yet fully mature and an encounter with a stranger would probably end her up with yet more injuries to add to those of past experiences with other predators. Nevertheless, she was curious and craving the company of her own kind, something the dusty silver canine had been without ever since she had abandoned her brother.

Rising to her paws, her ears pivoted to where the sound had come from, above her on the cliffs. Snowflakes were beginning to settle like dust upon her pelt and she licked them off, enjoying the liquid for a few heartbeats before regaining her hold in the moment. She tasted the air and, sure enough, the faint trail of an unfamiliar she-wolf flooded into her glands. "Might as well take the gamble," she muttered quietly and lifted her muzzle to the stormy sky, answering the howl with her own wavering call.