Northstar Vale falling close to arson

the collar was gone.
mona remembered very little of it — during one of her countless excursions, the metal bird had risen in the sky once more, its invisible bite paining her flank a second time. she had awoken not far from tindome's new claim in the vale, and stumbled home groggily, to the plush fur of nathaniel's chest and a sleep that lasted hours.
that had been yesterday, however — mona was pleased to find she had suffered no ill effects from the attack of the odd thing in the sky, but decided to stay closer to the vale in the days to come, simply for her own reassurance. after all, there was much to explore here that did not require departing the packlands.
it did not pause the girl in her climb — mona was simply too curious to let a single aspect of her world weigh at her heart for long. and so upward she found her path, until the pawholds turned to ledges, and the girl could turn her murkwater eyes out over the land delight had found for tindome. 
there was another here, above her some distance, and mona regarded the staring figure curiously. he was not one of her packmates, the mayfair determined, passing her pink tongue along the side of her mouth. "hello," she called toward the stranger, giving a friendly sweep of her plume.