Hours ago Iopah had been chased from the cherry orchard. With the piebald hot on her heels, her path from the fruit trees started out haphazardly. Panic, something she had long hoped to forget, had filled her and she'd bolted north. No hesitation. She was embarrassed that her gut reaction had been to go north again. It was as pointless now as it was then. But the scent of the Thorn wolves had jolted sense back into her. She weaved along their borders like a drunk, hoping to the individual scent of her would be lost in the cacophony of the other pack.

At some point the sound of Enoki faded behind her, but Iopah was halfway to the spring by then. What would happen if she turned back and ran into Enoki? If she lead the she wolf to the Thickets borders? She plunged on, tongue lolling out. Every step trembled, a mix of exhaustion and fear. What did Enoki want with her? There was no indication. The two she wolves only knew each other though their familys history. Enoki had been displaced hundreds of miles from the Black Hills region. Iopah was the last wolf in a line that had specialized in terrorizing every pack in the Black Hills region. It didn't take a genius to deduce that whatever she wanted wasn't going to be nice.

Maybe she deserved it for leaving like she did, but she wasn't looking forward to it. Reaching the water she waded in to her shoulders and stood panting and listening. There was nothing but the sound of her own ragged breath. She'd forded down the middle of the stream for another quarter mile. By the time she left the water her breath had slowed and her chest no longer heaved, but she was still jumpy, spinning at every sound.

She went back the way she came. Slinking along the Thorn borders one more time. Enoki couldn't linger here, not without Iopah hearing the commotion from the Thorns wolves themselves. Even her being here was a risk, but right now she'd rather face an irate Tokino than Enoki. The cherry orchard was shunned, too open and maybe Enoki had gone back to wait for her there. No, it was much safer to sneak through the blackberry canes to where it began to grow into the twisted thicket and try to slip back inside her borders unnoticed. That was her plan anyways.

The wind brought a slip of familiar scents and she left behind a shaky footprint in the earth. Almost there. The rising moon cast a set of shadows in front of her that she knew by heart and a high, thin whine passed her lips. Almost there. She was so close to home that the woman didn't need to keep her bearings, her fumbling feet knew the way all on their own. Safety was only mere steps away now. But she was not yet safe and that stark realization kept her determined and focused. The invisible line was just ahead now and Iopah stretched her neck forward as if she could—

Iopah.

The voice was like a drumbeat in the otherwise still night. Loud and unexpected. Iopah crashed to the side as her head spun to take in the sight of her pursuer. Her legs were twisted awkwardly from the sudden movement away from the voice. Koda was there, watching her gently, and the legs folded and she sank to the ground in relief. His leadership and their changed relationship was forgotten for the moment. She trusted him implicitly, everything would be fine now that he was here. He was saying something more and her ears twisted in alarm. A terrible thought came to her. Perhaps while she had been running blindly Enoki had found the Secret Woodlands? Instead of defending them she'd been saving her own skin. The wagging tail confused her, but then again, nothing seemed to make sense today. "What happened?" She croaked out, gazing up at him desperately. Cautious she sniffed in the direction of home, everything seemed fine and quiet. Hope flared and she brought her eyes back up to him, horribly confused now. He asked another question and Iopah could not find words to answer. She shuddered, the movement jerking the gray guard hairs that stretched over her shoulders. Wordless she turned in the direction she'd just come. No, something out there is after me.

A movement just then made her stiffen, staring in the direction of her hunter. Iopah was filled with dread. She'd lead Enoki to her home. She heaved herself up, regaining her feet just as Enoki entered. Her lips pulled back in a snarl at Enoki's flow of words. "Then stop chasing me!" She shouted back, her own panting making everything sound rough. "Whatever my parents did, it was terrible! But they're dead now," The words were spat viciously. Angry momentum was building and she stepped forward to shield her pack, "and I'm sorry. What more do you want from me?" Koda was somewhere behind her and she longed to press against him. But Enoki had come looking for her, not Koda.

The momentum that had posed her only moments ago was gone. When Enoki snarled in reply she could do nothing more than pull back her lips to silently show her teeth. When Koda padded up beside her she could nothing more than lean into him. Only when her bristling hair brushed against him did she realize how much she was trembling. It was from nerves, for she had nearly caught her breath back now. Only her slightly parted mouth and deep exhales gave away the day she'd had. In the span of a single day her past had caught up with her. She did not want to remember everything her mind was dragging up. Koda was speaking now but her mind could not focus on the words. His tone and his posture were all she needed to understand. He was by her side and together they were defending their home. In her agitation that was all that was important.

Now Enoki was speaking her turn. Soft, apologetic words that floated around the clearing occupied by the three wolves. The sight of the Ashrelle woman pressed to ground was immensely satisfying, her words were irrelevant. She tuned out whatever had been said to her... to them, for she could still feel Koda's heat by her side. A low crooning growl started, approving of Enoki's reaction to them. She missed a lot by not following the words. Her soft, drawn-out growl continued, plowing through over everything that was said.

"Kele."

The name cut through the growl. Everything stopped at once. The low growl ceased. The deep breath in her throat caught. Her previously trembling limbs froze. The silence seemed to extend outward into the thicket. It was still and quiet. Somewhere a bird cried out, but Iopah was too addled to to notice it. She stared down at the wolf pressed into the dirt with widening eyes. Too late, she was recognizing the shade of her eyes and the angle of her ear when it fell back to wait for an answer.