Phoenix Maplewood got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home

For better or for worse, Skraeling was not looking for a father figure. Although she missed her family, she'd gotten what she needed from them, and the time for fathers and mothers had passed away from her father more easily than it passed from most. She was easy like that - fluid. And it was easy to flow from one topic - gladness and togetherness - to another tangentially related topic.

"Wanna play kissing now?" she asked with a beat of her tail, turning to eye Shale with hopeful appreciation, as well as a bit of the hero-worship she was accustomed to affording the older members of this pack. Everyone was so nice and cool - she wanted to be good friends with all of them.