Lae sat within the borders, grooming her shoulders with her long pink tongue. Her white fur was tainted grey in some areas from the dirt. In her youth she would have been infuriated, desperate to wash her entire body. Now, she groomed almost mindlessly, focused on one spot for far too long. It was more relaxing for her to do it this way. She was incredibly patient, even with herself. Consequently, she was quite dirty in patches all over her body, and completely clean in others. It looked ridiculous, but she was an old lady. What more could people expect? 


She spat out a little twig that had wedged itself between her teeth during her bath. Her fur was not very long, but wildlife could still weave its way in. She licked over the area to flatten down the fur and let out a little mrrrrpt of approval. That was all she wanted to do. Even though there was more cleaning left to do, she gave up happily. Slowly raising to her feet, she stretched out her body, letting out little pops and cracks of her brittle joints. It felt good. She stayed focused on her body rather than on Askan, concentrated on relieving any tension she held between muscles. “Today is a good day,” she stated coldly, wiggling her front paws. “Must be a full moon.”

She lifted her tail off the ground to give it a puppy-like wag and turned to face her alpha. “Thank you.” Then she turned her attention back on her joints, flexing the muscles in her legs. She wasn’t as strong as she remembered being. Oh. She was only momentarily surprised, her focus moving carelessly towards her surroundings. A breeze caught her attention, dragging the fallen leaves on the ground in-between her paws. She stomped on one, watched it dance beneath her toes, then released it. It swam back towards the sky, floating off into the distance.

“For the opportunity,” she interjected, keeping her voice soft. She felt pressured to balance him out, to quiet her voice when his became more harsh. It seemed like a safe system. She could feel his energy and attune herself to it. She wasn’t empathetic, but she was wise. She lifted her front paw to her mouth, licked it a few times, then rubbed it against her temple like a cat. She still hadn’t made much eye contact. She usually never liked to look directly at a person, it felt too abrupt. Instead, she watched the leaves on the forest floor dance around in circles. 


“I do many things,” she added. It was a loaded question, her mind focused on the details. She did a lot of sleeping. She ate occasionally, but never much. She liked to walk around, keep her legs active throughout the day. Now that she had the safety of a pack border, she doubted she would ever wander past it. “I have lived a long time.” She placed her foot back on the floor and shook her head, trying to dry off the spit on her forehead. It was cold against the air, but it felt good. She loved the fall, worshiped the winter. She thrived in the cold air.

“I catch my own food.” She suspected that would be of importance. Even with her blind eye, she was able bodied enough to feed herself. Maybe not the best, but certainly she wouldn’t starve without help. She didn’t ever need much food. She was a small girl, and with her old age she lost a lot of appetite. She knew it went without saying that her contributions to the pack caches would be minimal. “I know little about plants and healing,” (she had never been the medicinal type within the pack) “more about children and motherhood,” (she had raised many pups) “and combat.” She gave a small nostalgic grin. She had been a scrapper within her youth, but those days were gone. She wasn’t strong enough to defend this alpha’s borders. Her focus had clearly shifted on her facial expression, her eyes glossing over while she stood perfectly still. She had lost her train of thought. She seemed to snap out of it- slightly, and took a seat, but did not say much else. Instead, she sniffed at a pebble that was positioned to her left, knocking it over with her nose. What an interesting rock. It was a strange green colour, with small yellow dots speckled around it. The tip of her tongue peaked out and touched it gently, before retreating back into her mouth.

The white wolf nodded her head in agreement. She was confident in her ability to teach. If that is what this large man wanted from her, she’d eagerly offer her ability to educate his younger pack members. She hadn’t talked to children in an eternity, it would almost be refreshing. She wondered how many kids were about, and how old they were. Anyone under the age of two was a baby to the ancient woman. She felt a warmth spread throughout her body, a sense of belonging mixed with happiness. It made her toes tingle. She was right where she belonged.

She trotted after the large brown wolf with her blind eye closed. She sniffed the air often, acknowledging the pack scent markers. Soon, her fur would begin to smell like the others. She tried to distinguish the different wolves in the area, searching for more information. Were they all as large and dark as this male? Were they his offspring? She took another sniff. She was not so desperate for information that she asked, she knew it was only a matter of time before she bumped into them. She was curious, but not nosey. This place was her home now. She’d learn everything about it in due time. She gave a gentle, longing sigh, trotting behind her new leader.

Lae had not been expecting his territory to be as beautiful as it was. Particularly in the fall, when the forest ground and sky were covered in a thin layer of coloured leaves. She breathed it all in, memorizing each step she took. He had picked a great piece of forest to create his home. It was only when the shallows emerged that she stopped walking, looking it over with her good eye. She took a sharp intake of air, admiring the water. She would never dare swim in it. The warning was appreciated, but the elder knew her limitations. She avoided swimming, especially with such active water. She was not a good swimmer, not in her old age.

When he pointed out the den, she made her way over with him. She kept her pace matched with his, glancing around over her shoulder. She couldn’t believe the healthiness of his home. Everything vibrated with life, even during autumn. “Fires,” she replied dryly. “To the east, far passed the mountains.” She continued to match his steps, gesturing with her tail. “It has destroyed everything.”

She didn’t like to talk about it, but it wasn’t a painful subject. She spoke without much emotion. She was stating facts, keeping her tone as neutral as possible. She was reporting on it in the way she suspected he would appreciate: knowledge-based. Surely he’d want to know if his home was in danger? She dropped her tail a little bit, then opened her blind eye and blinked. “It shouldn’t reach here,” she added. 


Everything was straightforward. The old lady had a bad memory, but she couldn’t forget the location of the main den. It was all she needed. She knew she wouldn’t stray far from it, or from the falls. It was her home now, and most likely where she’d die. When the large man took her around, she made sure to remember each step- especially the main den. She would not bother to make her own den, especially with the winter approaching. She would faithfully sleep there every night, right at dusk.

She had no concerns, no questions. Everything she wanted to learn she would in time. When he spoke up again, she simply shook her head no. There was no point in wasting his time asking useless things. She would learn by observing if there was another alpha, how many members in the pack they had, what was expected of her. It would all come naturally. She would much rather learn that way than by asking. Her lips were sealed, and her attention was waning. It was apparent she was tired, physically and mentally exerted. She glimpsed at the main den from the corner of her eye, itching to go in and nap.

She thanked her leader by waving her tail in appreciation and reaching out to place her cold wet nose against his scruff in submission. Then, she began to walk away.