Gently in the Night I Roam {J}

The snow was light on the ground, the soft light of the grey dawn permeating the air with a frisson of heat but to the cold frozen ground of the valley, it tried but to no avail. The ground was frozen in the depths of the winter- and what a winter it had been. The snow had fallen thick since she had entered this place, her soul a desolate wasteland of grief and sorrow and sheer frustration. It was her fault. She'd taken them from their home, the eldest of their litter and Mikael had followed her, faithfully and loyally. And she had led him to his death, for no wolf could survive such a snowstorm without shelter and though for many long hours she had searched, her youngest brother was nowhere to be found.

And here it led her, to a winter valley full of the new scents of a pack. The air was thick with the scents, long ago placed, perhaps a handful of moons ago. Rozari couldn't remember the last time she'd felt the primal urge of a pack territory. It was an urge, common in most any-wolf but of course, some stuck to themselves. The instinct to belong to and be surrounded by both pack and family.

She bordered on the edge of a life both achingly familiar and excruciatingly painful in her memories, a concept of a pack of strangers to welcome her and a family to call her own. It was a foolish thing, to expect a stranger to accept her so readily but many packs needed as many wolves as possible. The winter was harsh after all and prey on the short side of existence. There were hungry mouths to feed but so little to feed them with and any smart alpha needed all the hunters they could get. Rozari assumed she'd be accepted for the winter but who knew what spring would bring? It was a season of life and renewal.

Perhaps she would leave after the winter, with attachment to her former pack but no pain. There would be no heartfelt farewells, for none would know her enough to miss her. Or so she hoped. Sniffing the ground, she brought her head up further to the apex of the sky, letting a howl ripple from her throat and echo loudly across the convex valley. She made herself comfortable as she waited, knowing her call would be heard and responded to by an Alpha.