Phoenix Maplewood taken away to the dark side

From her place in the dark of the den, Saena could hear the howls of her wolves and decipher their locations, but the rest of the world was a mystery to her. She tended to her babes with a fumbling inexperience, frequently dropping them or rolling them in their own shit before realizing it was there, and these tedious tasks consumed her days. She tried to entertain herself by making them fight, pitting Milo against Indra primarily with the vague hope they would actually kill each other and she would be free of Fox Jr. and Reek Jr., but their strength was pathetic and they took turns winning. Sometimes Indra would emerge victorious by playing a little dirty. Sometimes the bulkier Milo would overpower her. Sometimes they would gang up on Pinky, but because Pinky was her favourite by virtue of not looking like someone she hated, she often intervened. They were only roly-poly babes, though, and this was only so entertaining.

When an unfamiliar voice called across the maplewood and she determined its significance was for her (and also Reek, she noted with a sour expression), Saena took the opportunity to get out and stretch her legs. She left Luke in charge of the cubs, knowing full well he would probably handle them better than she often did, and began to trek across the maple wood. Her eyes were a little sunken from sleepless nights and her teats and empty belly both sagged, telling of her condition immediately, but the woman was able to walk more freely than she had in over a month. That alone was refreshing.

Still, she felt weak and undignified as she met Scimitar and his companion with an expression of pleasant surprise. She supposed she ought not to be surprised to see Scimitar—the wilds were immense and he could've been anywhere within them—but she remembered her haunting experience with the bear chanting about a skull kid in his former pack land and couldn't help but say, "I thought you all died or left for good. It's good to see you." Then, with a quiet sigh, she told him, "if you're looking for Reek, you'll need to go west. Rumour has it that bastard's not far from your old place these days." It was no rumour, for Spring had scouted them out herself, but she left it at that.

Hope it's cool I PPed Goldhawk being present. Post whenever!