Whitefish River but that's not where mine lives.

Lightly PP'ing Akavir - I can edit it out if you'd prefer, Rachel!

Although the boy lagged behind her a few paces, Ibis tried to prompt him to follow with a gregarious wave of her tail and an inviting smile, having already explained to him along the way that Kaistleoki wolves were friendly; more importantly, they were allies. It would be a quick visit.

The arrival of a patchwork wolf to meet them had Ibis redirecting her energy. She had hoped to see Ira but there were many reasons why the leader of a pack such as this might be distracted or preoccupied - it wasn't a big deal. When the stranger got closer Ibis felt a flicker of recognition within herself but couldn't place his face at first.

Then as he began to speak, she connected the sound of his voice to their last meeting - gosh, a lifetime ago - where the angry woman Laurel had intervened. Hello! I am Ibis, she said, wondering if he would remember her at all - but then almost as an afterthought she motioned to the distant soot-colored boy following her: This is Akavir. We're heading home and it felt safer to cut through here, if that's alright? Rather that than... I dunno, stumbling our way to the mountains in foreign territory.