Rising Sun Valley takinik ⥉

What she wouldn't give to be able to sprout wings and fly home with Kukutux in tow.

That wasn't how the world worked. They had to make the arduous trek up and over the mountains. Luckily, Wylla had a little experience in that department and was able to guide them through a shallow pass. It still wasn't fast enough for her tastes. If she thought for a second she could bully Kukutux into traveling through the night and foregoing meals as she had to reach Moonglow, she wouldn't hesitate to do just that.

Thing is, Kukutux was not the sort of wolf to be cowed by her. She commanded a matronly air that Wylla couldn't mimic if she spent a lifetime practicing it. Her voice might be soft, but there was a firmness to Kukutux when it was called for. Wylla both respected and resented the mastery the other woman had over herself. So they traveled swiftly, but did not push themselves too hard. It chafed to have to hold her tongue on the matter.

While she owed Kukutux much and more for agreeing to come and help Mahler, Wylla didn't exactly want to get to know her. She didn't have any friends and she wasn't about to start making them in the form of this somehow soft and gentle yet universally respected wolf. Kukutux was pretty much everything Wylla wished she had, but somehow could never grasp. She didn't want to answer her questions.

But she relented, reminding herself that Kukutux might grant her precious time with Mahler she wouldn't have otherwise. Stubborn, she said with a snort. He could give a bull an aneurysm. But don't worry about that. He's a midwife, so I think he gets it, and he'll get an earful from me if he refuses medicine from anyone.