Whitefish River to boldly go

There was a sound along the riverside that made Lavender's head bolt upright, and she turned sharply to regard the ice-strewn waterway as if it had just tried to speak. It hadn't been the ice she had heard creaking; the louder sound had been a shout or a yelp, and soon enough her gaze caught upon the figure of a downed wolf.

Oh no! The girl cried out. That looked like it hurt! But she didn't know what to do next. One side of Lavender thought it would be good to check on the wolf and fall in to old habits of being kind, attentive, and caring like both of her mothers. On the other hand, she had learned her lesson about intercepting strangers and was loathe to do it again, especially when she wasn't safe within Morningside's borders.

The poor thing was conflicted. In the end she crept along the embankment until she was near to the fallen wolf, but there was still ample distance if Lavender needed to bolt away. Tentitavely she called out to the gray-streaked stranger, Are you alright?