Phoenix Maplewood locked in your own home

A sarcastic question followed an unfamiliar woof. Kaertok looked to the stranger: dark on top, light on bottom. He was missing a tail, and his face was... ugly. Something was off about it, like it wasn't quite the right shape. It seemed a bit too short and too round. Not that Kaertok had any preconceived notions about ugly wolves, but it was jarring, and he stood staring a moment longer.

No, he replied dryly to the question. He wondered if this forest would flood. There were certainly plenty of branches and trees down, and he'd even come across one that had a strange, dark marking all the way down its trunk. Kaertok found no use in talking about the weather, nor was he a fan of small talk in general. Some time ago, he would have asked for information about Raleska, more recently, he would have sought to recruit this ugly wolf. Perhaps that wasn't off the table, though.

Are you with a pack around here? Kaertok asked.