Porcupine Ridge necessity

The wind was at his back; for once, he allowed himself the freedom to travel with his nose out of the breeze. It was relaxing, meditative, and it afforded him the chance to rely on his eyes, to absorb the sight of the ridge as it came alive in the new season. Their arrival here had come in the dead of winter; and so now a whole new home was unfolding in front of him. It was a sight to behold, and he was thoroughly within his own thoughts, unpleasant though some of them were. He had sent the white she wolf away, and Terich had disappeared. Neither of these things sat well with him.

It was the movement of his alpha female in his periphery as he turned his head that caught his attention. Taggarik's tail swept from side to side in an animated wag as he turned to face her, and his mouth arched into a fond smile. He thought now would be a good time to discuss their lost members, but as the two met, and her scent wreathed his nose, he knew that was not the case. His breath caught in his throat, and he swallowed. That scent... but this time, from her.

"Capri," he murmured as he touched his nose to the base of her ear and kissed her forehead.