Almost there, Starhale told herself—even when she was nowhere near. The Tainn covered hundreds of miles, and each wolf she came across had no idea of who she spoke of when she spoke of Sahalie, of her family. Still, her optimism prevailed: almost there! It had become a mantra, and it was to the beat of this thought that Starhale continued ever-forward. She got by through scavenging alone and had lost an ample amount of weight. Nights ago she had found good fortune when she happened upon a young calf that had drowned in a river, finding it near a waterbed. It was bloated with water, but it did the job.



And Starhale felt closer than ever, now. Of course, she felt this way every day; it kept her going. She could not wait to start her newest chapter, and the young girl's tail swayed behind her. Her bright eyes surveyed her surroundings and she was given pause. Never before had she ever seen such a vibrant place; the hues ranged from orange to red, and this place gave her some pause. Tentatively, her leathery nose brushed against a fern as she sniffed gently at it, wondering at the wolves that lurked in this place.

Starhale, on the other hand, did not stop. She was enamored with the picturesque setting, taking it all in, and once her nose was removed from the ferns it had traced it was lifted skyward. The wind was not in her favor, so even as she sniffed the air lightly the scent of the nearby wolf was not noted. Had the breeze not been there, she might have, but as she breathed inward all the wind lent her was nearby prey, large and small alike. Starhale fancied she had heard a sound behind her, and looked over her shoulder even as she moved. When there was nothing to be found, she looked ahead and very nearly collided with the observant Sachiel—fortunately for the both of them, she was swift enough to leap aside with a girlish yelp that revealed her heart and soul had simultaneously rocked out of her body with the sound.


Her tail pressed against her leg, and her ears flattened upon her crown as she whirled around to face the tawny male. 'msosorry, I... I  didn't even see you there...! She admitted, hoping to be forgiven for very nearly sweeping him off of his feet. Every bit of her looked sorry, too; her eyes shifted away, and she yawned meekly to boot, hoping her body language would explain she wasn't the sort of girl who was here looking for a scuffle.


Nope, not Starhale—never that! She was only after her family.

His response cut her down a little more, and Starhale's body pressed slightly lower in an effort to appease and quell his anger. If there was one thing Starhale could not take, it was that. She fled from it on more than one occasion, and were it not for his final sentence she might have sprinted off tail-tucked then and there—a promise she would never be a bother again. But he had said what he had said, and so she remained, contrite, eyes averted and demeanor exemplifying regret. I know, she admitted with a soft sigh, I've just never seen anything like this place before... and then I thought I heard something and...



She grimaced. He knew the rest. Her ears pressed against her skull, though now pricked forward with interest. Least of her worries he had said. It sounded like an uncomfortable thing to broach, at least directly, even if he had been pretty direct about it himself. Well, I guess it's my lucky day, to get to run into you—instead of what ought to be the most of my worries, She decided, proceeding gently, still quite wary. His posture caused her own to remain deferential and meek.



But she had a hope in her heart that she would befriend him, somehow. He hadn't chased her away; she could only hope he didn't hate her for nearly running into him.

The grin he presented with his response caused her to believe: a breakthrough! but she held herself in check, and her deferential posture. He had made it clear he was less than enthused that she had nearly stumbled into him, and really the Tainn couldn't blame him for that. Head-on collisions hurt. But to her credit, she had caused them both to avoid such a painful meeting—which she was quick to forget, in lieu of catering to his own emotions.



Oh, no, she answered. Apparently I've got family here, but, I haven't met them yet. Only heard stories. I like to see things for myself, she said with a grin of her own. There was nothing quite like hands-on experience, was there? Gettin' your hands dirty and really getting to the bottom of things was something Starhale delighted in. Not that she ever really had anything to get to the bottom of in life. Just the bottom of the mudpond, or the cache... the simple, good stuff.


You are, though, yeah? Were you... trying to warn me about something? She thought it a fair question, given his ominous statement. He seemed to know about this forest more than she did... at least, that was how he had made it sound.

Coyotes, traveling in groups. Starhale knew they could be obnoxious but had never met more than two simultaneously before, and that, as a lone wolf, was more than enough. One heckled her and while she snapped at that very one, the other darted in to steal what she had been scavenging. It was frustrating, to say the least. She had guessed she would run into more of them before her time as a lone wolf had ended, but that was the optimistic part of her speaking. Reality spoke to her in the form of this stranger, and she relaxed further and settled onto her haunches.



Groups... so, more than two, she half-asked; she was thinking aloud, for the most part. I've run into some on my travels, just not here. It's hard enough being a lone wolf without them, she said with a shake of her head, though nowhere in her tone did it sound as though she expected or desired pity. No, she had chosen this path for herself, for now... until she found family once again. Are they up to their normal shenanigans? Stealing food, being rude? Starhale had never been outright attacked by a coyote before, and did not think that this was something she had to worry about, group or not—what she didn't know could, in fact, hurt her.