Heron Lake Plateau You bring an energy I've never felt before

Her howl drifted away on the wind, leaving Fiadh confident that in mere moments, one of Redhawk's stalwart guards would show up. They had always been a very territorial pack, Redhawks; she'd never known them to be tardy to the borders. Always excellent at that. She'd been proud to be part of such an attentive pack. But she waited and waited and waited some more; and no one showed up; no return howl, no Towhee tramping noisily toward her with her hawk wheeling above, no Tegan flinging insults. Nothing. The borders were a ghost town, and the longer Fiadh stood there alone, the more her hackles prickled with concern.

Where was everyone?

The one who finally came to meet her was one whose scent was absent from the borders, but that didn't matter at all when Fiadh turned around to the sound of her name and saw her doppelganger (or was it the other way around?) coming toward her. Mom! she shouted breathlessly, flinging herself forward to meet her mother with an attempted nudge to her cheek. Thank god, she thought fervently. Thank god they aren't gone for good. It begged the question of why Finley and Elwood and everyone else's scents were so faded here, but that wasn't at the forefront of her mind.

Instead she asked, what happened? I howled and no one came, is everyone okay?