Two Rivers Isle he jests at scars that never felt a wound

Sorry for keeping you waiting! <3 Tagged Jennifer for reference.

Raven's modus operandi when she was in season tended to consist of remaining as reclusive and solitary as possible. It was how she'd avoided male attention in previous years, understanding that her place in the pack did not grant her the right to breed freely. However, she had broken that fundamental rule of being a pack wolf -- she hadn't sought Towhee's blessing prior to her (admittedly rather sudden and unplanned at the time) coupling with Quixote -- and now she wasn't certain where the chips would fall. Would she become pregnant? Should she? She knew of a few plants with abortifacient qualities but she didn't want to take that route. Ever since she had taken the mantle of surrogate motherhood over her youngest siblings, she had wanted a litter of her own. Towhee couldn't deny Raven's skill as a parent, either, having herself been one of the pups she'd nursed and helped to raise. But would the hot-headed young alpha see it that way?

These thoughts bounced rampantly around in her head as she wandered with no particular destination in mind. @Quixote had had some things to attend to, so they had parted earlier that morning and Raven had taken the opportunity to get better acquainted with the plateau and its surroundings. There was still snow on the ground in small amounts, much of it melting away in the warmer afternoons now, and areas where the grass was visible were sodden and muddy from runoff. Mud clung to her legs and spattered her underside, but it didn't bother her. She was fascinated by her new surroundings and enjoyed the exploration, observing groves and thickets with the practiced eye of a healer on the hunt for useful plants. She scented deer on the breeze, which tickled her instincts and prompted her to look around, scanning the landscape for signs of prey. Not that she thought she could take one down by herself, but it was good to be aware of the movements of game in a new territory. She saw no deer -- perhaps they were obscured by trees from where she stood -- but she did sight the dark figure of a lone wolf moving nearby. She stopped where she stood as she considered turning and heading in a different direction. If he was male, that wasn't a chance she really felt like taking (she had, after all, already made that mistake with Screech and wasn't eager to repeat it).