Silvertip Mountain Trespass

He smelled her before he saw her, and he recognized her faint scent from the mountain.

Goldry peered down the hill and spotted a big black wolf padding toward him. The tip of his tail wagged a little at first as he thought of Aguta, but this woman was a stranger. She looked similar to Aguta, but she had a different, genuinely aloof presence. Her steps appeared heavier and more deliberate; purposeful. She focused on him, and he got the feeling she meant to deal with him.

Goldry narrowed his eyes and lifted his tail until it was parallel with his spine, but otherwise remained still, watching and waiting to see what she would do.

She stopped at a comfortable distance away and assumed her own attentive posture.

His chest felt tense. He lifted his nose to smell the air, searching for a border marker he missed. There were faint smells, but nothing strongly confirming his sudden suspicion he was near pack territory. Goldry frowned, unsure. Aguta had said nothing of belonging to a pack, and he hadn't smelled one on her when they met. But she had traveled a long way, and he knew she didn't fully trust him.

If this wolf was her pack mate, he had to be careful. Slowly, Goldry lowered his tail and looked away, offering a calming signal; I am not a threat.

He returned his gaze upon her, swept his ears to either side, then took a few tentative steps in her direction, his tail wagging back and forth in small, slow, questioning arcs. I want to speak to you.