Duskfire Glacier Joining Thread

A rabbit dangled from the Kalderon's jaws, his muzzle stained with mud from the site of the kill. The hunt had been sloppy in every standard, the swiftness and grace of his lithe form gone with the weariness that weighed him down. He couldn't remember the last time he'd properly slept since the lynx attack: even in his resting his mind was restless and always half-aware of the waking world.

A sorrowful howl rose on the air as he moved through the trees, and he paused, silently considering the tone. At first he thought it to be the mourning of one of his packmates, but then caught wind of the words she spoke. A prickle rose along the length of his spine. Could the female have news on Lárus and Njal? The underlying sorrow in her voice caused a stir of worry, and with a burst he dropped the rabbit at the base of a tree and kicked leaves over it to conceal for later before loping off to find the source of the voice.

When he saw her on the distant horizon, a shadow against the overcast sky, he gathered the remaining speed he could muster and continued toward her. His limbs felt sore from the endless days of searching, but the possibility this female came to bear news on their packmates pressed him on. Eventually he slowed, tail waving behind him, and set his bright eyes on the older lady before him. He breathed in her scent deeply - and felt his heart twist when he scented neither Lárus nor Njal on her coat. His tail fell slightly, but he did not turn from her. "What brings you to our pack?" She was still a foreign wolf on their borders, and he had learned quickly the customs here called for such wolves to be questioned. Normally Tuwawi handled such encounters, but he imagined she would still be with the pups. He trained his eyes on the older wolf, unaware his gaze might intimidate her, and waited for her response.