Ghastly Woods Ma Fleur

Emptiness.

It was what she saw as she strode through the wilderness, beneath a grey sky into which the spindly branches of the gnarled trees reached, clawlike and jagged. Her breath was exhaled in a slow, smoothe puff of mist into the cool air which hung for a moment before disappearing, the same way she assumed the pack had. There were no traces of anyone left in the area- the dens she visited had been abandoned for some time, and the scent of other creatures- badgers, raccoons, and other small vermin- had since taken hold over those nicely dug shelters. What had once been the borderlands were borders no more- the former packland had become what it had been before the wolves of Nomad's Pass had even moved into the area. And Emptiness was what she felt when she reflected on this.

It wasn't the last thing Sagacity had expected- in fact, she had felt it coming, with the increasing lack of leadership in the pack, the straggling joiners, the weak wolves who'd been allowed into a pack which had once only allowed the strong. With her son off on his own, Sagacity had found it impossible to anchor herself to a dissolving pack. Silently and secretly, she'd slipped away into the night, disappearing into the wilderness on her own and swiftly leaving Relic Lore without a backward glance.

Often her thoughts had strayed to her son at first- what if he had returned to their packland to find her only to see that she'd walked away? In her heart, she knew it would never happen. Mercy was too proud a wolf, and had declared his independence- and after much reflection, she understood. She had done the same, at the same age. She needed freedom and had come to terms with the fact that her son had needed the same.

Curiosity brought her back. Had she suspected that the pack would still be in Ghastly Woods, she would have avoided it at all costs. She felt satisfied knowing that Naira, Mapplethorpe and the others had moved on. She'd liked them, of course- but she hadn't become nearly as attached as perhaps she should have. There were only a handful of wolves in her life that would lay claim to her emotions- a select few she doubted she would ever see again, but she had come to terms with that too.

She returned to her old den simply to see the state of it- not surprised yet again to find that it was in a state of disrepair but that it would suffice for the night, perhaps longer if she decided to stay in the area simply because she could, without having to adhere to pack rules. She dug away some of the snow, ice and frozen earth to make the area look a bit more civilized before she scuffed the ground with her hind feet, marking the den as hers before she started out again, in search for something to eat.

Eeeeee!!! can I throw a time-traveling Iopah at Sagacity? this'd be set after the (not-started) thread that comes after the breeding thread
Koda is tagged as an fyi

Surreal.

It felt so strange... to be simply standing here and looking out into the fields. Not her fields, but they looked just the same still. Many minutes passed with the pale wolf watching silently, waiting for something. There was only the setting of the sun, a familiar progression through a sky she knew by heart. It sank lower and farther, and the gray deepened around the yellow orb. Shadows stretched long in the field and finally vanished in the complete darkness of night. She turned away and slipped into the Ghastly Woods, letting her nose follow the freshly laid trail of her mate. Somehow, she imaged, the sunset should have been different. The colors should have been brighter, the sun taken longer to slip behind the mountain range. But no, that last sunset was the same as any other.

It was the only thing unchanged. Skirting decrepit crumbling trees, her figure was slender and sleek; the coming weeks would bring many changes. It was too soon to tell, not even out of heat yet and still following Koda's trail eagerly, but she felt sure of that change as well. The fact that they had to sleep in proverbial holes on the journey seemed to pale in comparison. They were lucky even that this forest had once been claimed, had been a home. Abandoned dens still dotted the territory, the perfect place for a small group of loners to spent the night.

She'd long since expected to find them, long since expected to find anyone here. The discovery, when it came, was unrealized. The woman froze coming upon the scuff marks, her nose running over the simple marks of a lone wolf. A female. Any memory of Sagacity's scent was buried under the suspicion that rose swift and irrationally. The marks were recent: she was still in the same forest as Koda, unattached and likely in heat. Iopah wavered over the marks and her options, stick to Koda's side or seek this waif out and instill some caution. The latter was a better decision, she decided, sitting around and waiting had never been her strong suit anyways. Sagacity's tracks lead into the darkness and Iopah followed after them, expecting to be back before @Koda noticed her over-due absence.