Nova Peak oh, but it's long.

winter hawk holds the high ground as the wind shifts.

the stranger’s scent reaches him clean and cautious, kept just shy of the heaviest marks. respect. need. the cold already working its way into bone. he reads it all in one breath.

when the echoes thin, he follows at her shoulder as she moves downslope, steps matched, presence firm. his tail lifts to a neutral flag, visible even at distance.

he does not bare his teeth.

he watches the male approach and waits for white feather’s lead.