Great Bear Wilderness since the darkness covered us

His pause came just in time, because from the depths of the varied woodland and terrain rose a head and a pair of ears standing sharp. She had blended in with the scenery, perhaps had been doing something to conceal where it was that she had been. The distance between them was more than meager, a ground that he held firmly. He would not approach her borders any closer; seeing her was more than simple affirmation that the Spine was alive and thriving still. The stance she adopted spoke that she still held the position he had left her in, which for all intensive purposes was a good thing. A lot of things could have changed in the span of time he was gone, as much had changed from the founding of that quiet pack.

"I can't come visit?" he queried in response. Maybe it hadn't been a good thing he had come there at all. Perhaps it had been too soon, the wounds that were still lingering unseen were left raw. He hadn't given her much of a reason for wanting to go, other than it had been time for him to move on. If there was ever a time for her to be smug about his leaving and turning things back over, then he supposed it would be then. But the tawny Ostrega held onto neutrality for what it was worth. He had no pull here any more, not over the wolves that were beneath her or her own being. There was nothing to wave around, other than he had come to linger everywhere but the shadows.