thank the gandy dancers for a path well worn

And then he came upon her, the end of the trail. Her sudden appearance startled him and he drew back, only to gather himself in a moment's pass. The smell of Larus hung delicately before him, still mixed with a myriad of others and hidden beneath the woman's stronger scent. He eyed her with a sense of precaution and equal curiosity. If she smelt of Larus, she must have been near him recently - unless his mind was simply playing awful tricks with him.

The woman's fur made her look half draped in deep shadows, a pattern of shades he had never encountered before. Malachi responded to her query with a small dip of his head and chose his words with care. "My name's Malachi. I lead a pack nearby." He did not take his eyes from her, but deflected them off her face. She was a stranger near the lands he'd agreed to protect, but he would not challenge her. Her potential connection with the lost boy made her an ally he wanted to make, and though he felt her gaze cold upon him, he deigned to meet her with a gentler tone. "And who are you?"