The River princess’s unusually sensitive nose was hard at work, guiding her through the dreary woods. It was starting to get dark—either it was near sunset or she was entering a spot in the forest where sunlight didn’t penetrate.  In this whole wide forest, the only thing she had to go on to find Kjors’ den was “a dead tree”.  Her friend had forgotten to mention that all the trees looked dead, twisted and gnarled with only a few trademark, withered leaves clinging to their branches. Karina drew to a stop and released the salmon from her jaws. The large fish flopped down into the dirt, one dead eye staring up at the pup. Karina shivered. She didn’t like dead creatures at all, and a fish had been the only thing she could stand to cart along with her—she couldn’t imagine if it had been a rabbit staring up at her. She knew she needed something to convince Kjors, and maybe if he was reminded of how well fed pack wolves were he would consider going with her back to Cut Rock River.

“Kjors?” she called, a slight tremble apparent in her high pitched, puppy bark. Truthfully, the child wasn’t even sure if she had found the correct “ghastly wood,” because every strange place appeared frightening and unwelcoming to her. The fish continued to stare at her with its vacant expression, making the situation all the more uncomfortable. Now that she had let go of the pungent fish, she could smell her friend’s scent all around. If this wasn’t Kjors’ densite he had at least been here recently, and perhaps he was still in the area. “Hello? It’s Karina..” As she called a second time into the still air of the wood, she wondered if it was such a good idea to be making her presence known in this strange place. What if it wasn’t Kjors that came to find her, but something else?  Something… scary?

The Baranski princess whirled around upon detecting a stranger’s approach, wide eyes searching until they landed on Kjors’ familiar form. ”Kjors,” she breathed, smiling as relief flooded her. “I- I thought you were…” A bear?  A wildcat?  A monster?  A figment of her imagination dreamed up out of desperation for someone that understood her? “You’re here!” she finished, equal parts glad to see him and proud of herself for finding him. She lowered her body as he approached, tail thumping the ground as he reached out to greet her. She graced his chin with a few small, reverent licks, as she might greet her parents or a close family friend. Her companion pulled away to survey her, and Karina watched as his golden eye flicked up and down. He was just as she remembered him—not a figment of her imagination at all!

“Oh...” was her small, sheepish reply to his question, ears and tail drooping as she assumed a very guilty expression. She hadn’t meant to worry him. “I’m fine, I’m not hurt or anything. I just wanted to see you.” Was that wrong? She didn’t recall Kjors telling her she could only visit for emergencies, but now that she thought about it, it was an awful long journey for a mere social call. Karina was beginning to feel a little silly, and that damned fish eye staring at her mockingly wasn’t helping things at all. How ridiculous it was for her to expect a busy man like Kjors to just be waiting here for her, ready to drop everything at her beck and call. He had his own pack to build, after all. “I have something to tell you,” she offered with an uncertain glance back at the salmon on the ground. It glared back at her as if to say, get on with it!

The pup giggled as Kjors’ teeth tickled her nose, her own maw yawning open playfully.  Still a little wound up when her companion pulled away, she snapped at the air a few times before settling in place. Karina’s periwinkle eyes lit up in silent agreement with his statement, and thank the gods—he didn’t seem annoyed with her at all. Karina shot a satisfied look back at the taunting salmon, and the eye that stared back at her was dull and lifeless, humbled for now. The child’s glance returned to Kjors, whose eye couldn’t be more different, full of vitality and drive; a single smoldering ember in a bed of ashes and coal.

The swarthy man directed the conversation back to the dreadful fish, and Karina shuffled her paws in the dirt. How was she going to explain that?  Kjors repeated himself, this time asking it as a question, and Karina knew she was going to be expected to come up with some sort of reply

“Well… yes,”  she began, surprised to hear confidence in her own voice. “You see, we live by the river, and this is mostly what we eat.  We always have extra..” The salmon watched her smugly, a sure sign that Karina was losing her train of thought.  “Anyway, I thought you might be..” Hungry?  No, she couldn’t say that! Kjors was a grown man, he could hunt for himself! “..Interested in tasting it. In case you were considering maybe joining us. Cut Rock River.” Karina went back to shuffling her feet. She had no reason to think that Kjors had given her pack a second thought at all, especially with ambitions to create his own following. But still.. it was worth the try.

Karina watched as her companion tore into his gift, and she was so glad to see him enjoying his meal that she nearly forgot to be squeamish at all the carnage. In truth, it was a relief to see that judgmental eye disappear into Kjors’ hungry jaws. They could finally be alone. Karina wagged her tail at his compliment, though she simultaneously tilted her head in confusion. “Cleverness” was not a trait she was typically praised for—well, not outside Lachesis’ den at least. She couldn’t think of a thing she had done to deserve to compliment. The swarthy male spoke again as he slid the remains of the meal to her, and Karina realized he must have thought she caught the fish herself. She agreed to his suggestion with a half-smile. Just because she had picked out this particular salmon from the cache didn’t mean that she hadn’t caught fish (albeit considerably smaller ones) in the past.

“Thank you, sir,” she piped in a small voice before picking through his leavings delicately. Though she avoided meat for the most part now, fish she still took no issue with eating. Unlike deer, or rabbits or other critters, a fish’s fear was not palpable during the hunt and they did not scream in pain as they died. She perceived them as somehow less animal-like, and so she consumed their flesh without guilt.

The princess looked up from her meal as Kjors finally answered her question. She blinked, surprised to hear that he had given her and Cut Rock River some consideration. The pup nodded at his concerns, which were valid, though she couldn’t imagine her own parents as really being considered “bossy”. They required sufficient respect when the pack was gathered, but otherwise just seemed to keep to themselves. They rarely commented on even their own children’s’ affairs, let alone those of the rest of the pack. Karina doubted she would see them at all in the weeks following her younger siblings’ birth.

“It’s.. its me asking,” she admitted at last, wondering if that was what he was looking to hear.  “But I’m sure Leki and Ami will speak for you too.” Karina paused, searching for something to say that would make the River sound more appealing. “You have to submit to my parents.. but as long as you’re contributing they will leave you alone.” That was true, wasn’t it? Mark the borders occasionally, add more to the caches than you take, chase off any intruders, and you are considered a valuable member of the pack. “Really!” she insisted, fish carcass all but forgotten. “Tell them... tell them you can teach me how to fight with my sight disadvantage.” Her parents had certainly gotten wind of how poor a fighter their daughter was.. how could they turn down an offer like that?