Otter Creek iii Means to an end.

She hoped so, too. She gave him a faint smile in return, not able to fully take in the words but appreciating the sentiment nonetheless. She could wallow in self-pity or she could, as she always had, carry on. 

Well. . .she could do a little wallowing. . .

Blackfeather Woods, Maegi answered, after a beat of hesitation. She didn't know this wolf; though none of the scents on his pelt were familiar, she'd been away for too long to trust that he wasn't an ally of their enemy. But didn't everyone know the forest, anyway? And the aggressors here long dead—

My family have lived here for generations, she explained. Her blood, and the whispers of spirits, were an inextricable tie to the dark trees. It is my home.

She gave him a long look, silent, pondering, before speaking again. I'm Maegi. You are. . .?