Blackfoot Forest A canopy of shivers

Although Vires bowed her head in deference, Pied did not respond to this display beyond a thin and companionable smile. "It's nice to meet you, Vires, though I wish the circumstances were different. The only other wolf I've seen around is Hawkeye. I haven't even seen her for a few days, though," she admitted, her lips twisting downward and her tail falling still. This was her own fault, as Pied had strayed away from the forest for a few days and had even toyed with the idea of not returning. Yet it had been thoughts of Hawkeye that had drawn her back here. She must find her.

"I was kind of hoping I'd imagined all of this," Pied quipped lowly, gesturing at the empty forest around them. "The fact that it's a ghost town, I mean." She paused, shifting her weight slightly. "What should we do?" she wondered out loud, her heterochromatic eyes seeking Vires's gaze. "If there's barely anyone left and the leaders themselves appear to have vanished... well, we won't survive the winter, will we?" An edge of anxiety entered her voice as she posed the question. Even as she asked it, it dawned on her that it was rhetorical. If they didn't figure out what to do soon, Pied and the other leftover pack mates might be dooming themselves.