Swiftcurrent Creek it's the wrong kind of place to be thinking of you

It had surprised Bazi to hear Falwasi speak up against allowing Paarthurnax and her brood to remain at Swiftcurrent Creek. The former Queen's knee-jerk reaction had been to tell the wolfess to pack her bags and piss off if she didn't like it, but the angry thought cloud had never become spoken words - and now, after a little bit of thought, she could almost see Falwasi's point.

Puppies were a burden. Even more so in the winter. Bazi spent most of her time in the den or around it, leaving precious little time for patrolling or hunting. She did her part, but most of the resources went directly to the family - and rightly so, the ivory wolf thought. In a year's time, those pups would be all grown up - the first true Swiftcurrent brood, their beginnings rooted in its banks and their history bound to its fate. The idea that they might one day fall prey to wanderlust or curiosity about their father had not entered Bazi's mind.

Something made a soft noise behind her. Bazi turned her head mid-stride to see the very wolf that had featured in her thoughts only moments before. She stopped, turned completely, and offered a neutral "Hi."

But it didn't last long. The demon of passive aggressiveness assumed command of her vocal cords, and Bazi found herself informing Falwasi in a mildly self-satisfied tone of voice that "The pups are doing really well."