Porcupine Ridge don't you feel

the mountain air was colder, sharper, and harsher than that of lowlands.

winters elsewhere had not prepared her for this. it was enough that her mood had taken a sour turn, that she sulked around the edge of the ridge. she looked for a scent that interested her the most. anything that might free her from this wretched thinking.

she quickened her steps, pushed into a near run.

she was a golden figure cutting fast along the ridgeline. a way to heat her body.

it was not enough.

It was frigid. The Frostfur blood in him provided enough pelt to withstand the chill, but he still found himself in constant motion—or else curled up into a tight ball, trying to withstand the elements.

But an even greater chill than that in the air was the one that wound itself around his heart. . .because Muskrat was gone. For days, now. Without a trace.

Could he spare anyone to look for her?

They ran in parallel, shadow and gold, and he finally caught a glimpse of her bright pelt just above him. Nimbly enough, he traversed upward, meeting her with a genial chuff and lifting his chin in greeting.

Muskrat is gone, Hex said, his own thoughts echoing in billowing, icy air. Do you know where she went?

he may as well have greeted her with a bite.

a foul mood only darkened by the news. yet she holds hope close to her chest of this situation. she has no other choice, does she?

perhaps she seeks a raid. she wants to bleed her worries but does no such thing. only shifting slightly with a pointed look to the lands beyond the ridge. maybe the vale. maybe beyond.

her stomach rolls a great discomfort.

Perhaps, Hex replied, his voice faint, the word trailing off. He, too, looked toward the distance—to the north, where Muskrat had spoken of a pack—

She said there was a group settling nearby that we could raid, he continued. He shook his head in some helplessness, bewildered. Maybe she went to scout more. But it's been days, Golden Eagle.

Winter was here. The snow was falling in earnest now, at least in the mountain heights; they stood amongst it now.

If she doesn't return by the longest night— The winter solstice, of course; the most darkness in a day. If she doesn't return by then, I— I'll need a new Sentinel.

Hex turned his gaze toward the aureate woman, grave and solemn. I want you to take her place.

she becomes something hard, in the confession of an absence spanning days.

hidden among her own emotions. already he is putting things into motion, speaking to her of such a lofty position. something about it only causes more turmoil in her gut.

no, she wanted to declare. the desire to flee from here comes in such a grand wave that it nauseated her. she had not come to seek a director's role. she had taken great comfort in the freedom of being only another body.

she ran free.

she ran wild.

it dawned on her that perhaps muskrat had left for those things. that she had not wanted so many bodies under her charge. that instead she had wanted to be feral and unchained.

i am going to roam, before then. she decided with a snort that showed in cold air plumes. to see if there are any signs.

days did not give her hope.

she needed this, though.

Her answer only solidified his belief that Muskrat and Golden Eagle were one in the same. That they had been in league to take over—and now that one was gone, the other would follow.

His face grew quite sour, frown an ugly curve across his muzzle as he looked at her.

Go, then, Hex replied. Seek her out. But return to us, please, if you have word of her.

Why would she not seize power now? He figured only a plot simmering beneath the surface was the reason, and his shoulders were stiff and arched, teeth grinding together.

he did not beg her to stay. had that been what she wanted? no, she did not think so.

she wonders if she is too readable.

he is a seer, after all. it leaves her to wonder why she ever tried to hide anything from his gaze.

i will return, with or without word.

she will find an answer out there either way and she will not vanish in the night entirely. it is the only promise she makes to him now.