Northstar Vale between the jaws of fate

The mist thinned as she descended the mountain. The small, white wolf moved close to the cleft that formed between the pair of mountains, this one and the one adjacent. She stopped just short of the border that had been marked as the pack's boundary. It would be dangerous to cross, despite her desire to join the pack. She was weaker than usual; not only did she want to make the best impression possible, but she also could not have lasted long in an attack.

River tilted her muzzle toward the morning sky and released a beckoning howl. When the last note melted into silence she lowered her head and kept her gaze fixed ahead of her. She did not sit down.