Qeya River "if only, if only," the woodpecker sighs

He resisted the urge to let his temper flare up at her snort. It was true enough that Seadog was a weak group--yet her scoff seemed, at least to him, personally aimed at Denali himself. But there he went again... Blowing things out of proportion.

Instead, he responded, his voice cool. "I wander." Anger rose in him once more as he realized Thuringwethil had not even bothered to wait for the answer; the black female was padding away before he had opened his mouth to speak. Disappointment, bitter as bile, was thick in his throat. "We will meet again," he whispered to her retreating form, voice adamant.

They kept meeting. It was more than mere coincidence. He was meant to stumble across this leader, this volcano Heda. For a moment, he considered following her--but shook off the thought as quickly as it had occurred. To follow Thuringwethil into her territory would mean certain death.

So he turned and began to pad back to Firefly Ravine. But not before one last glance back at the wolf who intrigued him so greatly.