it's a wild love that i have

With or without Mordecai's permission, Sidewinder had departed Ouroboros Spine and headed to the east. He would be gone a day, three at most, even if he was able to find the whereabouts of his brother. He would continue until he found at least one pack to question, and then he would return to the spine to replenish his health and begin all over again. If he kept it up, he would eventually gather some knowledge on his brother Viper. And if not, he would move on in the spring.

He rounded the northern tip of Big Salmon Lake, where he had once met a dark wolf seeking out somebody else, then Sidewinder crossed a river. Another half-day's journey brought him to a moody wooded place, and it was there that he encountered the sharp scent of a pack. Sidewinder strayed far from their borders, ensuring that he would cause them no immediate alarm, and began to pace down the eastern boundary of the pack. If they had any ounce of sense, they would have patrols and would spot him sooner rather than later.