She could not force her attention back to the search anymore. The snow dragged sideways against them; Iopah could feel the cold spray on her own nose and saw it land on Koda's pale muzzle. The storm was pressing down on them and each snowy gust was a reminder to hurry, that time was slipping away, but she continued listening to Koda. This resonated on so many levels that she could not feign indifference. She had been in Secret Woodlands the whole time and had seen the shift between Nina and Hollow. It had been inevitable, the queen and her three sons were proof positive that life away found a way and that love could never be put on hold.

Koda swallowed hard and Iopah watched him, knowing what was catching in his throat. The past wasn't hard to guess at, she had been there when Koda returned and her rejection of him had not been secret. That was how it worked, Koda could not expect Nina to stay the same. And Nina could not expect Koda to stay the same: it was Iopah that watched him with compassion now. But the change was not always easy. "I miss Hollow," she murmured sadly. They had been friends despite an apology that never happened, and she'd searched for Hollow just as she was searching for Aideen and Pacem now.

He'd been loyal, Iopah had no reason to believe it was personal choice and not death that had taken him. Miccah was loyal and she would believe that until the evidence other-wise was right under her nose. Loyalty was all that mattered to her. Iopah knew she was not the most amiable or patience wolf, but that didn't matter to Nina (or, she didn't think it did) and it shouldn't matter to Koda. She let his statement trail off and added nothing of her own to soften the awkwardness. They'd been "friends" for long enough that he would recognize this as only her usual obstinance. When he bumped her, she hesitated for a moment before pushing back against him. Iopah followed after him, content to keep her shoulder by his flank and confident that their differences would make them a stronger team.