The Sentinels her ghost in the fog

BWAHAHA EBONY I KNOW HOW TO GET IN YOUR PANTS PACK  XD

Thanks for all the quick replies!  You guys are on it!  :)

The fear that gripped her with such intensity that she could not even raise a call to announce herself kept her rooted on the spot, and she scarcely moved, indecision tearing at her like so many claws.  She tried to think of Wifi and how brave her sister must have been to risk the wrath of another pack to follow her heart -- it did little to comfort her.  Just as she was beginning to sidle backwards, as if to bolt away to the safe emptiness of distant neutral land, she spied something pale moving amidst the vast trunks some small distance away.  A glance revealed it to be a pallid figure, draped in soft tones of buttercream and honey.  It was a young wolf, possibly close to Raven herself in age.  The Redhawk girl took no chances -- she immediately crouched down to the ground, lowering herself into a gesture of deference and respect.  When the resident wolf spoke to her, however, the response she got was...definitely not what she had been expecting.

The she-wolf greeted her with gentleness and curiosity, her voice completely devoid of all the things Raven had imagined there would be.  There was no hostility or baring of teeth, no accusations or harsh demands.  No move was made to aggress this black stranger or harm her in any way.  Only a simple, profoundly comforting question -- Are you lost?  Raven swallowed nervously and started to answer, but was distracted by the approach of another wolf.  This one wore a coat like purest snow, and the way she carried herself indicated some clout within the pack's ranks.  Again, Raven was surprised at the overall lack of reaction to her being there.  She only knew of her mother's savage and untrusting way of dealing with strangers at the Caldera's borders.

A moment later, a third wolf entered the scene and though he said nothing, the way the others responded to him told Raven that he was the highest ranked of the three.  He looked upon her with kindly eyes, an expression of curious warmth and interest inviting her to speak.  She maintained her crouched position and, carefully avoiding all three sets of eyes, focused her own gaze on a pinecone that lay a few feet in front of her.  "Um...I'm lost..." she began nervously, her tone quavering a little bit as her heart pounded and her belly flip-flopped.  "One of my friends disappeared...uh, I dunno...a few moons back.  And I tried to find him and I lost my way 'cause it snowed real hard and I lost my trail 'cause I'm not a good tracker an' now I have no idea where I am or how to get home."  The words just tumbled out of her in rapid succession, accelerated by her fear and fueled by the contained panic she'd been suppressing for weeks.  She took a breath, steadying herself, and continued, "I'm jus' tired and hungry and kinda scared and don't wanna be by myself anymore."

It was the most she'd spoken since she'd left the Caldera a month ago.