Horizon Ridge now that i've had my fill of you, i'll give you up forever

each day they made small bits of progress. the cold was their main deterrent -- it was surprising how when one's age went up, their tolerance for extremes went down. while raleska and svalinn seemed ready to ford ahead every hour of the day, caiaphas sometimes lingered with an let's rest here, or a this is a good place to stop.

they accepted her instructions with little arguing. in truth, these frequent rests were just as much for caiaphas to rest her tired bones as they were for her to teach her children where to look for unused dens, or hunt in seemingly abandoned alcoves. they were learning -- and someday, she would not be around to protect or teach them -- so they must learn how to survive of their own accord, or they would pay the ultimate cost.

she had left the two of them to hunt down a trail of otters, and had made inland. she recognized the topography of this place - as they moved further north, caiaphas was struck more and more by how much she remembered of the coast. years ago, there had been a cache here -- caiaphas' limbs seemed to move of their own accord as she searched, wondering if somehow the rotted cairn had survived the insult of the years.

SORRY FOR THE WAIT.

The cold would soon come, yet still Aklark drew north along the coast. It was familiar, comforting even, to return to where the snow fell in thick sheets. It was a reminder of home, despite being so far away. However, Aklark was not one to look back on times past with an inkling of warm sentiment or nostaliga. There was only survival. A single moment in which he lived, continuous and eternal. He was a hardy creature, thriving where others faltered. Tartok was far from his wild mind.

Yet, there was a pervasive nagging -- a hinderance to progress. He was alone. A wolf was nothing without companionship. Solitude reduced an able pack hunter to a lowly scavenger, no better than a coyote. Weight melted from him and Aklark thinned. He would settle soon. Settle or die.

Up the coast, Aklark followed his nose. Overturning a thin layer of snow, he sniffed at the ground seeking something edible as his stomach rumbled in frustration. Upwind, the scent of another wolf lingered.

she was downwind to the male, yet it was not his scent that stirred her attention upon him, but the immensity of his frame. all ideas of an otter brunch were cast aside as she looked at the imposing creature, who resembled a fierce slab of stony granite over wolf. 

she was loathe to be blindsided, and drawing a quiet sigh, chuffed into the chilly air to draw his attention. the exhale clouded the thin conclusion of her sharp muzzle, fogging around her black nose in thin wisps of rising mist.