Redtail Rise And I felt his blood pour fast and hot,

Riley didn’t know it, but today their pack bond had been cemented.

Masque slipped to her side with a snort. He watched as her ribs rose and fell in gradually deepening breaths.

Soon, his own energy waned. The stick lost his interest, and his eyes grew heavy. There in his own bed of leaf litter, Riley fell to sleep alongside Masque — two wolves, snoring under the balmy warmth of a weakening autumn sun.