Blacktail Deer Plateau I search for someone who hides

Saena took note of Gunnar's shuffling, but made no motion to cross the borders toward him. They were perfect strangers, he and she. Though they seemed to share some experiences, as he revealed in the next breath, Saena was much too closed off to offer comfort to strangers, and somehow too detached to notice his own pain. A quiet wind swept past them and combed through her fur, and it was all the comfort she needed for the moment.

"You're preaching to the choir," Saena quipped, "but I have you beat. My mum died when I was born, my dad didn't care enough to act like a dad and he eventually left. Junior's parents adopted me, but our mum just up and left one day. Our dad recently abandoned us because his new wife is more important to him than we are, he hasn't even visited or anything, and didn't want us to go with him either. My uncle left and probably died, and my aunt also disappeared not long ago. Our sister Tytonidae, who said she hates us, is gone too." To anyone that hadn't been through it, it really sounded like some sort of terrible curse. All were destined to leave, or at least that's how that story seemed to end.

"Wolves leaving is getting pretty normal, actually," said Saena as she wrinkled her nose. "I just never expected Junior to be one of them." After a pregnant pause, she tilted her ears comfortably back and said, "I'd be mad at her too. At least she came back, though. She could've left forever. I think that's worse."