The Heartwood corrupted lungs

Heph had not seen much of Atka though she had lingered near the Heartwood. However, she did miss the other wolf and eventually desired to seek her out. She allowed her paws to carry her in wide sweeping arcs of the territory, attempting to pick up the most recent scent and keeping the older ones in mind so that she could track them down if she could find nothing fresher. Eventually she picked it up on the fringes of the border and then quickly set her pace in that direction.

She approached with a friendly bark to let her know she was there and sidled up in long slinking strides. "Fancy my luck at seeing you here." Her voice held the smooth flirtatious notes that she was accustomed to but the smile on her face was genuine as she gave the smaller white wolf a once-over with a flick of her gaze.