Barrow Fields ukiu-pak

Sapphique endured highs and lows. Recovering Valravn. Losing Raleska and Kaertok. The violent battle with Shardik, the Ursus. The pack splintered to nurse wounds and to grieve. Njord did not know how best to console Erzulie and Rosalyn… and so he defaulted to the familiar pattern of patrolling borders and hunting.

Overhead, the sky began to spew fat flakes as the winds howled. Njord followed the tracks of snowshoe hares, as @Kaertok had taught him, and soon found himself outside the territory. The islander moved with a stiff gait – Shardik’s claws made three parallel gashes on his left haunch, but it was not enough to immobilize him.

The thick conifers thinned into frozen obelisks as the rabbit’s tracks converged onto a main trail. There, a familiar white wolf  with a smiling scar lingered. Njord stopped, blue eyes narrowing as his guard hairs stood on end (though you probably couldn’t tell – the wind was whipping something fierce). His red tail lashed from the gale, chest growing hot from the recent memory of their fight. He didn’t move forward, and he didn’t retreat… how could he run away again after his embarrassing loss?