Duskfire Glacier Withering where some snowman was.

The sky had gone dark earlier than usual. Though the days had begun to lengthen, the weather was tilting towards mayhem. The clouds blotted what was left of the sun and refused to let a glimmer through.

She moved with the wind. Following different scents until discovering a familiar one that roamed south across the snow. The wolf prowled with her head down until the scent washed out among the ice.

No sign of sivullik. Casting her head back, she sang her single note, listening briefly after it faded for any reply.

Veteran was more cautious with border-callers these days, after his run-in with the unnamed trespasser. He had come away from the border unscathed that day, but only by an unbelievable stroke of luck. His aggressor had easily surpassed him in weight, health, age, and probably experience. Veteran knew he would be pushing his luck, expecting a similar encounter to go his way again. 

So this time around, even though this stranger had announced her presence, the young man's approach was guarded. "This is claimed land belonging to Duskfire Glacier," he informed her, stopping at a healthy distance of about five wolfslengths. "What do you need?" Were she here, his mother would probably have chided him for being so brusque. Or maybe not.. She had seemed pretty upset over his near-miss at the border last time around. 

Although he still remained guarded, his eyes gaze flicked to the rather ominous-looking sky, blanketed by thick clouds. Looks like more snow, he noted to himself.

The woman would have busied herself before departing, had she not been greeted. The boy looked to be the same age as the anneriwok of her hunting party and was intense when he spoke.

Her tail-tip twitched as she watched him, otherwise unmoved. I seek a man. The pale blue of her gaze lingers on the scar the boy carries, but she does not speak on it, and soon looks to the earth where the trail ended.

This scent, here. It was not abnormal for sivullik to range farther than his companions, though it would have been a surprise to find him holed up in a camp.

Veteran didn't have to go smell it. He knew whose scent lingered in that spot, other than his own. He had visited the scene of the showdown many times since it had occurred, replaying the event in is mind. 

"That scent is two weeks old," Veteran informed her. The only reason there was any trail left at all was because Veteran had sent the man away with his blood dripping onto the ground. The boy still couldn't believe his luck. 

"He isn't here." He watched the woman's every move, his suspicion increasing tenfold now that he knew she was connected to the trespasser. The wind picked up, threatening an impending weather event, but Veteran remained fixed to his position.

The answer made sense, given what she knew of the man. He was a strong creature but a stupid one too often. Boredom was his enemy — therefore the enemy to all that ran with him.

The boy answered and the woman's expression did not change. She turned her head away, surveying the space as if she were an investigator at a crime scene, and breathed deeply.

You fought him. Now those blue eyes fixed upon the boy. There was no challenge there. Which way did he go?

"You fought him," she surmised, and Veteran shifted uncomfortably. He had confronted the trespasser, but he wasn't sure their little tussle could be categorized as a full-blown fight. So he remained quiet, allowing the woman to draw what conclusions she would from his silence. 

She asked what direction he had gone, and Veteran reflexively turned to look westward. A half a beat later, he realized he should have guarded is reaction in order to lie. If this woman meant to reunite with the trespasser, they might come back together next time. "West," he said finally, regretful that he hadn't been more quick-witted. Lying did not come naturally to him. He hoped his honesty wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass.

The boy spared a quick glance that gave her the answer she sought. He spoke to confirm it and she, peering west, looked resolute.

Alright. The woman breathes deeply again, and sets off. She only goes a few steps before turning her attention over her shoulder to the boy again: Keep watching your borders, kid. Once my friend starts playing with others, he tends to fixate. And he hates losing.

Maybe she shouldn't say anything; but she knew her sivullik wasn't done here.

A small nod served as a combination thank-you and farewell, as she stalked off.

Veteran's ruff rose at the warning. It was just as he'd feared: the trespasser made a habit of testing boundaries, and this woman was a friend of his. Maybe he had even sent her, just to see if he was still here, guarding this border. 

Well, she could pass along the message that Veteran wasn't going anywhere!

Except... that wasn't altogether true. They were all supposed to move before next moon. Anger rose in the boy's chest, thinking about how the trespasser would arrive to find the Duskfire wolves gone and the border unguarded. Thinking about how he would stalk in like he owned the place, opening caches, peeing everywhere, and poking his nose into their private spaces.  

The woman left without any additional comment from Veteran. He watched her for a while, to make extra sure she left like she was supposed to, and when he was satisfied he turned away with a huff. 

He lifted his leg briefly upon the spot she had stood. Then he continued on to his patrol route, channeling his angry energy into an extra angsty, stompy border patrol.