Raven's Watch viii Sanctified by their affliction.

No, see? No way through this, she hissed, snipping at the idea that she had somehow missed an obvious route through the tangle of shrubbery. She refused to admit that she hadn't actually explored the area that much. Instead, she dug in her heels every so often just to insist that she was right.
Shortly after, Kigipigak easily found a path just beside the one she insisted was impassible, and up the mountain they continued.
The bond formed like it had always been there. Had onlookers at the Watch seen them, Kigipigak and Valmúa looked as if they had known each other for most or all of their lives. For the vibrant she-wolf, it was as much his fascination with her as it was his flavour of Tartok that kept her interest. She neither feared him nor disrespected him. He was youthful and formidable, though the state of his white coat left much to be desired.
Her claws scraped against a particularly difficult portion of the path. This time, the Tartok was ahead of her. With great effort, she pulled herself onto a ledge and searched for the same spots that the young male had used to get up the rest. We will both hurt tomorrow, she noted, coming at the rocky path at a jog so she had the momentum to thrust her body up to where he was.