I go on too many dates, but I can't make 'em stay

@Cara if you have time!

They had been successful, but not without losses themselves.

Ptarmigan had been in recovery ever since the fight, with only a tenuous hold on her rightful leadership over the pack whose name she still didn't know. She had been forced to rest by the mercenary, Andrus, who likely stalked the valley even now with the intention of silencing any who rose against her. Viggo had remained close, but a lot of the time Ptarmigan was alone, left to stew in hateful silence.

Seventeen days had passed and finally, she was able to do more than just lay around and take short walks. It was slow-going through the ancient conifers, but the Alpha was glad to stretch her legs. The Outrider in her would not die over this new duty, which she took about as seriously as a kitten took a toy mouse. Ptarmigan was not a born leader, after all, and though she felt the hard-won title was hers by right, that didn't mean she was good at it. She had done nothing yet other than howl a mocking victory cry when she had won her title.

Her first order of business was to seek out the loser of that little spat, who would play a key role in securing Ptarmigan's place at the head of this pack. No doubt the wolves here had put their support behind Cara and, no matter how much Ptarmigan wanted to oust the snowy female for being a shameful example of her species, she knew she needed the bitch in order to rein them all in. She hated to admit it, and so she took her time reaching the edge of a river and soaking her injured body with a hiss before finally lifting her snout to reluctantly summon the former queen of the valley.