King Elk Forest around my wandering feet

mona held fast to every word gracious spoke — the wisdom from the cloud-grey wolfess was something rich and valuable. love was an imperfect thing that brought with it lessons and the reward of others; pain accompanied love, but the feeling was necessary all the same. mona let out her breath in a long sigh, glancing between gracious and the ground.
but when she lifted her crimson features back to the woman, there was a smile on her lips. "thank you," mona whispered. her spirits had been lifted, at least for now; gracious' time and kind words had been the catalyst to tug the mayfair from her slough of despair. straightening, the girl lifted a hindpaw and scratched awkwardly beneath the edge of the collar, a frustrated huff escaping her muzzle. "it doesn't hurt," she explained of the thing, "but it's not convienient at all."
her eyes brightened. "how long have you been in tindome?" was her next inquiry, as the mayfair realized she knew next to nothing about her packmate.