Climbing was something Vaken was learning to enjoy. It wasn’t easy, or quick, but it was something he felt good at. His small frail and agile paws seemed to find secret paths along the mountain that made travelling easier. Each step he took brought him closer to the top. He glided along the edges with new found confidence.  He was thankful for his petite size at moments like this, where he found it so easy to navigate.

He had struggled more the first time he had crossed the mountain. This time, it was almost second nature. He knew what to expect this time. A larger wolf would have struggled to balance the way the yearling was now. He was almost floating. Flashing himself a cocky smile, Vaken decided that the mountains were perfect for a wolf like him. Maybe one day he’d consider finding a home in an area like this.

Today was not that day. He was finding the most stability in the wildwood. He felt a loyalty to Kino and Sahalie that kept him close by, but travelling was in his blood. He was not looking for family the way he had been at the start of his journey. Instead, he was travelling just to explore. He just wanted to keep moving. He was young and adventurous and he liked testing his body’s boundaries. Once he was tired, he’d head back to the wildwood. Maybe he’d spend the night on the top of the mountain.

It all depended on the coyotes. Vaken’s smile disappeared at the idea that the coyotes could follow him. He hated them more than anything on earth. He hated the way they looked, the way they smelled, even their glowing dumb eyes. Taking a seat on the mountain ledge, Vaken felt himself tensing up at the idea of having to fight more of those idiots off.

“Hm,” the young wolf sighed, his ears twitching back at the sound of the female’s voice. He realized that the words had been targeted at him, and being vaguely startled, searched for the source. He did not smell her, and he had not heard her. It was almost like the voice had belonged to the wind. 


When he realized it had come from above him, the small wolf relaxed and gave a small smirk. “Oh, yes, quite the view.” The words came out his mouth without him really registering them. He hadn’t meant them with much passion, it was only small talk. Just a way of acknowledging that he was not a threat, but a fellow sightseer. His lack of interest made the words dry and robotic, but not quite rude.

Realizing how empty his sentence had been, Vaken attempted to soften his body language. He nodded his head in agreement, looking over the territory below him in a caricature way. He was overdramatizing it to make sure she knew he really did appreciate the view. While he looked, all he could think about was how dangerous of a fall it would be. He broke his eye contact with the surroundings and focused on the approaching female. 
Why did she look so familiar? He squinted his eyes at her, but couldn’t quite put his paw on it. Clearing his throat a little, he lifted his muzzle up to get a better look at her. "Have we met before?"  

Vaken still couldn’t put his paw on what was so familiar with the girl. She clearly did not recognize him, but he couldn’t shake the idea that they had met before. He continued to search his brain while she talked, but failed to remember where he could have stumbled into her. Her scent was not familiar, he doubted she was from a pack. Her eyes were a common colour. Her colouring was fairly neutral too, though he hadn’t met a lot of lighter wolves. Eventually he gave up, moving his attention back to her words.

He sniffed around, tasting the surroundings with suspicious curiosity. The smell of coyote was on the breeze, but Vaken was not worried. If they were on the mountain, he was sure he could outrun them. He was nimble on the rocks and almost comically confident in his ability to run. If it came down to it, he wouldn’t even bother trying to fight them off.

Adjusting his position slightly once more, the wolf reached out his black paw and knocked over a small rock. It hit a few ledges on its way down, crumbling into pebbles. He couldn’t hear it hit the bottom, but it was satisfying nevertheless to watch it tumble. Placing his paw back on the ground, Vaken gave a small smile. What an odd question.


If the female hadn’t been so polite and non-threatening in her body, Vaken could have easily misunderstood it as a threat. He didn’t have any explanation. He was always alone- almost. Being alone for him was second nature. It seemed strange that she had inquired about it, since it was so natural to the rogue wolf. Forcing himself to come up with something, anything, the wolf opened his mouth before he was ready to speak. “I like to climb,” he said cooly. It was the easiest explanation he had. While it wasn’t the most small-talk friendly, Vaken felt it was the truth.

He shrugged his shoulders, and forgetting his manners didn’t ask her the same question. Instead, he used his muzzle to knock over another rock, this one bigger, down the side of the mountain.

Vaken usually did not like to take orders, from anyone, let alone strangers. In this situation though, the orders went through one ear and out the other. He did not need orders to know how to keep himself alive, but the heads up was nice. Her voice hit him at the same time the smell did, coyotes. He raised his fur and let out a loud howl, letting the pests know that he was there and meant business.

He cringed knowing that it was probably his rock-hitting that drew them to him. It was too late now to take it back. Placing his paws instinctively on the rock below him, the small yearling did not hesitate to move. 


He didn’t even glance up at the female to make sure she was okay, too focused on his positioning. He presumed she could take care of herself. His main focus was his own well-being and working quickly to manoeuvre out of the danger. The blood in his veins was thick and warm, the adrenaline pumping in overtime to fuel his speed. As quick as a blur, Vaken glided down the first feet few with unhesitating grace.

After the first few feet, Vaken could comfortably run in long strides without having to reposition his paws too much. It was bumpy and rough against his paw pads, but he was too focused on escaping to register the pain. He listened carefully behind him, trying to identity the sound of her paws over the sound of the yipping coyotes. 


He didn’t want her to get hurt, he wasn’t evil. He just wasn’t willing to put himself on the line to protect her. She was a stranger. Vaken felt comfortable presuming that she could get herself off the cliff, since she was capable of climbing up it. She was smart enough to know not to fight them, that said something too. Throwing his weight forward, and using the momentum of the incline, Vaken was practically a bullet. All he could hear was the sound of his heart beating and his paws hitting the hard stone.

It felt good to run. The small boy panted, cracking a large smile himself. Looking over his shoulder at the female, he barked happily. “Nice run,” he agreed. He was glad they had both gotten out in good condition- almost. He could still hear the coyotes’ excited yips and the sound of their feet racing down the mountain. They didn’t have a lot of time to rest.

He moved his head to the girl, to the mountain, and then the forest. He tried to catch his breath, well aware that he was going to have to keep running in a few moments. Exhaling deeply through his mouth, the boy relaxed his shoulders and cleared his throat. “What’s your name- by the way?” 


He hadn’t asked it before, but now it seemed important. She had helped saved him. Maybe her name would help refresh his memory. Giving her an encouraging smile, he looked towards the coyotes once more.