Redtail Rise where'er i walk ten thousand serpents follow at my feet

She hadn't expected Augur to be excited about the news, but his blessing was welcome, and she moved forward to butt her head affectionately against his shoulder with a deep, rumbling growl. She squeezed her eyes tightly together, feeling moisture prick at her eyelashes. There would be many wolves that she would miss, though none quite so much as Augur, she thought. 

Like Ancelin, part of her wanted to dash away like a sprite- spend the winter wandering and searching, so that they might find a territory to claim by the time the Spring thaw came....But their chances would be better if they weather the winter in a pack. There would be no returning to the Rise if they failed, she thought; she doubted that her return would be as welcomed as Avicus', and had come to terms with the fact that the pack would likely evolve back into its blood-based hierarchy soon after they left. 

She drew back to her mate's side, burying her nose in his fur for a moment to breathe warm breath through the fur of his shoulder. She tilted her chin up and smiled at him with a doelike gaze. They would lead together- and finally shed the burden of genetics.