The Heartwood drifting somewhere between map and maelstrom

Grezig was once again attempting to recruit for her pack—which was not going well. She thrust the downcast thought from her mind and marched onwards. Dwelling on depressing topics had never worked well for her. It was why she was not currently dozing lazily up in the Door at the Plateau. She’d dwelled too long over a man she couldn’t have and then left her Beta position in the pack for… what? This? This roaming endlessly, hoping for recruits? This… waiting for the spring? Whatever she was waiting for, she didn’t have to think about it to wait for it. So she didn’t think about it.

Who was that? A dark wolf came towards her from the opposite direction. She could smell the smoke from a charred forest coming on the wind, stronger than his own scent. Strange… She’d not heard of a fire over here, but it wasn’t like she came over here very often. “Hail,” she called, as they drew nearer each other. “Is everything all right over there?” she asked, nodding her head behind the male. “I smell smoke.”