Horizon Ridge A Flicker in the Wind

He raced toward her and Pied braced instinctively, not sure what sort of greeting he would visit upon her when he reached her. He wound up licking her face, which felt strange but nice, and nipped at the side of her neck, which simply felt familial. She smiled at his exuberance, flattered by it. A short bark of a laugh erupted from her at his question.

"What—should I go?" she answered with a teasing glint in her eye. More seriously, she added, "My pack mate, Vires, and I are scouting. Our Alpha, Hawkeye, is interested in getting an idea for the lay of the land, I guess you could say." She paused and added sotto voce, "I really wanted to see the ocean again."

With that confession aired, she stepped back, hefted her head into the air and sucked in a deep breath. Her eyes closed, yet she didn't keep them that way for long. They popped open again and she drank in the view of the vast water stretching as far as the eye could see, the nearby waves cresting and rolling up onto the beach. It looked—and felt—like home. Pied grinned, exhilarated.