Phoenix Maplewood graphite

Northwest.  To the direct north was the river pack.  She would search this forest and then return home.  He would not be lost if he were in a place with allies, unless he was lost by choice.  If this were true then she would gain nothing by finding him.

Wealda tasted the breeze again but only found damp and new growth.  She would seek a trail on her return and bring down a kill.  Moon Runner’s illness and the few disappearances left them with few hunters to spare.  Their bonds were strong, their members sure and skilled, but her task was to provide.  This search, she knew, would not happen again soon.  Already she wasted strength.  Redd chafed, unwilling to see it as such, but Wealda knew the truth.

He would return or he would not.

She had no questions, but did not press to leave.  She appreciated knowing the lay of the claims around them and the wolves who resided within.  It allowed her peace in the understanding that boundaries would be respected.  This meeting held nothing but reassurance; there would be no forthcoming trouble here.